Descriptions and definitions of who an informant is goes back centuries. In the past 100 years informants have become a necessity to the government sector to help solve cases which may never have been solved through applying conventional investigative methodologies and techniques. It is imperative to understand that informants are... View Article
How often have we watched blockbuster movies where some of the main characters are labelled “informants”. Our thirst for information is insatiable, despite how easily we can access material at the click of a mouse. There is a big difference between accessing information on the net and getting information directly... View Article
We are all dependent on portable devices for our work and our social lives. Using them in public settings, especially airports, planes and trains provides the perfect opportunity for criminals to access your information – and they don’t even need your passwords. Recent trips of mine have confirmed how the... View Article
Many of you will remember December 2010, when a Tunisian produce vendor set himself on fire and sparked what became known as the Arab Spring. The name stemmed from the ‘People’s Spring’ and ‘Prague Spring’ that described movements towards democracy, rather than the time of year per se. The... View Article
Mainstream media and social channels are awash with conversations and disagreements about misinformation and disinformation and what they are. The pandemic and Trump’s presidency have added considerable fuel to these debates. Definitions of disinformation and misinformation are easy to find. The important distinction between the two is the intent... View Article
By Mario Bekes During the Covid19 crisis, the typical workplace is no longer a company office, protected by technical, mechanical and physical security with access controls and an IT/cyber security manager physically sitting next to employees. In contrast, the workplace has become the kitchen table or spare room, with... View Article
By Mario Bekes Economic and industrial espionage come from a different base, but their activities are similar. (Button, 2020) in his article quoted definitions from Wagner’ (Wagner, E.R., 2011) to explain and distinguish the differences between economic and industrial espionage: • “Economic espionage refers to targeting or acquiring trade... View Article
“The life of spies is to know, not to be known” George Herbert A stolen recipe in ancient Greece led to one of the first cases of industrial espionage. This, and other historical precedents, are discussed in relation to contemporary industrial espionage by (Tarantola, A , 2020) who... View Article
Organisations need to act now and prepare for the growing prevalence of economic espionage in Australia and the damage it causes. To understand what we mean by economic espionage, the FBI (2021) describe it as, “foreign power-sponsored or coordinated intelligence activity” while ASIO (2021) define it as, “Espionage is the... View Article
We know advertisers and politicians try to persuade us to believe a certain viewpoint. The power of communication as a type of warfare is often undervalued. Influencing your ‘enemy’ is a key part of winning any battle. Being able to analyse misinformation has become a critical skill for armies, businesses... View Article