A Growing Problem..

Industrial espionage or corporate espionage is espionage conducted for commercial purposes instead of national security purposes.

The term is distinct from legal and ethical activities such as examining corporate publications, websites, patent filings, and the like to determine the activities of a corporation (this is normally referred to as competitive intelligence). Theoretically the difference between espionage and legal information gathering is clear. In practice, it is quite difficult to sometimes tell the difference between legal and illegal methods. Especially if one starts to consider the ethical side of information gathering, the border becomes even more blurred and elusive of definition.

Industrial espionage describes activities such as theft of trade secrets, bribery, blackmail, and technological surveillance. As well as spying on commercial organizations, governments can also be targets of commercial espionage—for example, to determine the terms of a tender for a government contract so that another tenderer can underbid.

Industrial espionage is most commonly associated with technology-heavy industries, particularly the computer and automobile sectors.

Espionage takes place in many forms. In short, the purpose of espionage is to gather knowledge about (an) organization(s). A spy may be hired, or may work for oneself.

 

 

Definition of TSCM

TSCM is an abbreviation for Technical Surveillance Countermeasures, which is a term for the field of electronic eavesdropping detection. Many people also refer the function of TSCM as bug sweeps, bug detection and de bugging.

With the proliferation of eavesdropping devices sold each year by the hundreds of retail and Internet spy shops, and the rapidly increasing rate of industrial espionage; the TSCM industry is rapidly gaining the attention of both manufacturers of electronic equipment and the security industry.

Unfortunately, there are so few skilled TSCM professionals, that it has been difficult for this industry to develop standards that acceptable to all. A few manufacturers such as REI in Tennessee, ISA in Connecticut, and Audiotel in England have spent a significant amount of time and money developing much of the equipment needed by the TSCM professional. And, Glen Whidden in Virginia had done more than an admirable job of trying to bring the TSCM industry together. Yet, as of 2006 there is no certification standard for the TSCM industry.

This makes it very difficult for both the individual consumer and security professional to find knowledgeable and reliable TSCM professionals. The Red Balloon dedicates two chapters to this subject and should be viewed if you think you have a need to have your home or office checked for eavesdropping devices. Also, for those of you looking at this web site and who are interested in exploring a career in the TSCM field, The Red Balloon will give you a tremendous amount of insight into both eavesdropping devices and techniques. To learn what industry professionals have said about The Red Balloon please click here.

For a complete glossary of terms relevant to TSCM please click here.