Bug sweeping sounds like something reserved for movies about spies and organized crime, doesn’t it?
Yet, the average person can buy recording devices disguised as pens, wireless transmitters, and even GPS trackers. That’s before you even consider the possibilities opened up by drones with cameras.
The truth is that it’s easier than ever to spy on someone or have someone spy on you. In the best case scenario, it’s a deep invasion of privacy.
There are also certain groups of people who should make bug sweeps part of their professional routines for business or legal reasons.
Keep reading to find out if you should consider bug sweep services.
You Deal with Confidential Information
At some point, almost everyone needs legal advice. Whether it’s putting together a will or suing someone, your clients expect you to hold up your duty of confidentiality.
Most attorneys follow that ethical requirement in their everyday working lives without giving it a thought. They would never knowingly disclose information about their clients to a third party.
The critical term in there is “knowingly.” Many attorneys handle lawsuits, business mergers, estates, and investments with big financial consequences. Others represent high-profile clients, like celebrities.
It’s not hard to imagine someone bugging an attorney’s office to get the inside scoop on that kind of confidential information.
If you deal with high-profile clients or handle business with serious money at stake, electronic bug sweeps make sense.
You Deal with Classified Information
The government employes a lot of private contractors and civilian companies. Many of these contracts include security requirements because you deal with classified information. For example, all of your employees might need security clearances, such as:
- Sensitive
- Secret
- Top Secret
As a general rule, you should use strong operational, physical, and information security practices. Even with all of that in place, no security is absolute.
Say two of your employees are in an office with the door closed. They discuss the details of a current project. If some third party put a listening device in the office, the classified material gets exposed through no obvious fault of the employees.
If you allow the exposure of classified material, even unintentionally, the best you can hope for is a lost contract. Your company will likely lose the privilege of taking on any future government contracts. That can kill some businesses.
Bug sweeping is a basic security step that prevents scenarios like the one described above. It also shows that you take security seriously.
Your Company Has Trade Secrets
Does your company do supercomputing R&D? Does it use in-house formulas or recipes? Is it working on a process for turning chemical waste into environmentally-friendly batteries?
These kinds of trade secrets don’t get the benefits of being classified by the government. They are still valuable, and it’s only practical to protect them like they’re classified.
You can take the usual physical security steps, such as:
- employing security personnel
- mechanical or electronic access control systems
- video monitoring
These overlapping layers of security make it more difficult for someone to steal information. There are simply few opportunities for unobserved activities.
Adding bug sweeps creates another layer of security. It also acts a deterrent for anyone who might consider planting a bug in the office of someone higher up the food chain.
You’re Negotiating a Big Business Deal
There are many companies that only require basic security under normal circumstances.
Let’s say that you own a profitable company that makes basic paper goods. You probably don’t have any big trade secrets or special processes to protect.
Your main security concern is internal financial fraud. You can handle that problem by hiring an external accountant to review your books.
That situation changes when you start negotiating a big business deal. For example, you see a chance to acquire a competitor or someone wants to acquire your company.
If either company is publicly owned, knowing the details of the negotiation could let someone make a lot of money on savvy stock trades. Leaking the details could also derail the deal by setting off a public outcry.
You’re in an Ugly Divorce
Divorces get ugly when there’s a lot of money or valuable property involved.
You read about people hiring private investigators to find out if their spouse is hiding property. Rest assured that good private investigators know all about surveillance.
You can end up under surveillance even if you aren’t hiding property. Your spouse can hire a PI because he or she believes you hid property.
The investigators don’t care. They submit their invoices whether they find something or not.
If you find yourself in an ugly divorce where your spouse accuses you of hiding assets, it’s a good time for bug sweeps. You can ensure your privacy in a troubled time if nothing else.
You Feel Like You’re Under Surveillance
The brain is a pretty miraculous thing. It takes in a lot more information than you can consciously process moment-to-moment.
For example, you get the feeling that someone is watching you. You aren’t showing signs of telepathy. Odds are good that your brain noticed something and your subconscious warns you.
Of course, there’s always some false positives. The brain isn’t infallible.
If the feeling keeps cropping up, though, don’t brush it off. Your safety should always come first. Getting a professional opinion about whether someone bugged your place is a good starting point.
Parting Thoughts on Bug Sweeping
It gets easier and easier for other people to spy on us every day. You can order listening devices and wireless surveillance cameras online. Drones are everywhere.
Bug sweeping isn’t just for spy movies anymore. It’s for ordinary people during divorces or when they can’t shake the intuition that someone is watching.
Anyone who deals with confidential information, classified information, or trade secrets should make it a regular security measure. Not to mention any business in the middle of a big deal.
Spy Catchers LLC specializes in counter-surveillance, including bug sweeps for individuals and businesses. For more information about our services, contact us today.