Staying ahead
Safeguarding families in a technological world
IN the early 20th century, automobiles were becoming increasingly popular and accessible to the general public. Criminals quickly realised that automobiles could be used for quick getaways, which led to a surge in crime such as bank robberies before law enforcement eventually adopted automobiles of their own as a response to these criminal activities.
We are currently experiencing a remarkable era of technological advancement — the golden age of innovation.
Technology has not only reached unprecedented levels of sophistication, but also continues to progress at an extraordinary pace.
But, as with all new advancements, from swords to automobiles, criminals are early adopters, using them to conduct various illegal activities, while law enforcement almost always plays catchup.
A myriad of modern crimes, including hacking and sophisticated online scams, now pose threats not only to individuals, but also to the entire online infrastructure of companies and even entire nations.
I watched in dismay as the MPAISA scam quickly grew into the biggest national scam ever, preying on vulnerable citizens, a chilling example of how easily criminals can exploit people into parting with their hard-earned resources.
Despite our increasing reliance on technology, insufficient resources are often allocated to ensuring robust security measures, especially in Fiji. This must change.
One gargantuan threat that is plaguing countries around the world, forcing people and companies alike to change their security protocols, is spying devices.
Hidden cameras and listening devices are turning the lives of innocent people upside-down in almost every country on earth. These can be bought for as little as $20 and can be physically installed in pretty much any location without anyone being the wiser.
Hidden recording devices are now very easy to obtain, and criminals are using this to their advantage, from filming people in showers and other compromising situations with hidden cameras for blackmail or selling the footage, to placing stealthy listening devices in boardrooms to obtain and sell company secrets.
In the USA, just recently, a man was sentenced to two years in prison for three counts of eavesdropping and two counts of invasion of privacy after he installed hidden cameras in a rest room at a Walnut Creek Starbucks aimed at female toilets.
Popular establishments like Starbucks with public rest room facilities have often been targeted by criminals and perverts and cameras are found in them very often.
Closer to home, A Fijian homestay student, 23-year-old Josevata Hamilton Turagakula Raikoti, pleaded guilty to making intimate visual recordings after he imported several mini-cameras, which he hid in the bathroom of the family’s home for sexual gratification.
In another incident, a man in New Zealand pleaded guilty to filming 34 women at his guesthouse with hidden cameras in shampoo bottles and uploading the videos to porn sites.
The rise of platform companies, such as Airbnb, which rely on user-driven product aggregation, has exposed individuals to potential criminal activity.
These publicly accessible spaces are vulnerable to the installation of hidden devices by property owners or previous guests, putting people at risk.
Of course, these can be installed in any publicly accessible location such as the washroom of your favourite restaurant.
Fiji is in a bit of a precarious situation because this massive global problem is not being discussed enough, and thus people are not even aware of this growing danger.
All it will take is one person placing a recording device in the washroom of a popular restaurant, hotel, gym, or university campus shower and uploading the captured footage, and countless lives could be ruined.
Can you imagine your child being secretly recorded in the washroom or shower and then having that footage circulated in Fiji and the world on porn sites?
The psychological damage would be nearly impossible to recover from in most cases.
And most cameras are extremely difficult to detect for those who aren’t professionals.
They can be as small as needles and hidden in shampoo bottles, clocks, screws, and virtually anywhere — at any hotel, Airbnb, or washroom.
Furthermore, this technology is not limited in accessibility to the technologically savvy, which many students in this day and age already are, but pretty much anyone can get their hands on this simple-to-use tech and install it covertly at any location.
So how do we protect ourselves and our children?
Well, the first step is to ensure that everybody is aware of the dangers when using any facility that has public access. It is vital that people, especially children, are not oblivious to modern-day dangers.
The only surefire way to ensure that you aren’t being bugged is to have professionals regularly sweep the premises for hidden recording devices.
If you are going to use high-risk areas like public washrooms, hotels, motels, public showers or Airbnb accommodations, it’s imperative to prioritise safety measures.
Ensure these establishments uphold responsibility by undergoing regular inspections conducted by professionals, a standard practice now adopted by companies worldwide.
It is also the responsibility of property owners, including businesses, hotels, and rental property managers, to ensure the safety and security of their customers.
But it is also critical that we, as citizens of a globalised planet, not be oblivious to modern-day threats to our safety and security.
It is incumbent upon us, both as individuals and as a collective community, to remain vigilant and informed about the latest threats that could potentially impact our families.
Rather than solely relying on authorities, we must take proactive measures to stay updated and educate ourselves about potential risks and vulnerabilities.
For those who are wondering, Vanguard Tech is a company in Fiji that does sweeps for hidden recording devices and I urge everyone to visit their website, vanguardtech.pro to learn more about this new and emerging danger.
The only surefire way to ensure that you aren’t being bugged is to have professionals regularly sweep the premises for hidden recording devices – Arnold Chanel