Spy News Bites

We're not the only ones...

Russia - President Vladimir Putin has defended the right by Russian special services to wiretap... “If this [wiretapping] is made within the framework of the law, by which the special services’ rules of conduct are guided, this is normal." (more)

Canada has also been electronically eavesdropping on Canadians and others, scouring global telephone records and Internet data for patterns of suspicious activity, a newspaper said Monday. (more)

Panama - A TV journalist and cameraman were detained by police while working on a story... about alleged government wiretaps. (more)

Former Bulgarian interior minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov was indicted Wednesday in connection with a scandal over the irregular wiretapping of top politicians and businessmen, sources said. (more)

Not to be left out...

DC - The IRS... is ordering surveillance equipment that includes hidden cameras in coffee trays, plants and clock radios. The IRS wants to secure the surveillance equipment quickly – it posted a solicitation on June 6 and is looking to close the deal by Monday, June 10. (more)

PA - The Senate Judiciary Committee approved a bill that would... add audio surveillance to security cameras already mounted in school buses. (more)

Taiwan - Taiwan's top intelligence body is seeking a change to the law to expand its power to conduct wiretapping in anti-espionage operations. (more) (copycats)

Nigeria - The Bayelsa (state) Government awarded a contract valued at N3.6 billion for electronic surveillance in the state... to the Chinese Firm, Wali... The governor appealed to residents of the state to cooperate with the contractors... (more)

Unintended Consequences...

NSA leaks will... significantly increase the level of state-sponsored economic espionage directed against American companies. (more)

Sales of George Orwell's dystopian novel 1984 have skyrocketed following revelations about secret US spying on internet data. (more)