1. Electronic eavesdropping is commonly referred to as 'bugging'. It is the use of electronic means and devices to gain intelligence. Information gathered can relate to the past, present or intended actions of individuals and organisations without their permission or knowledge.

2. Privacy died a long time ago. Theft and leakage of corporate secrets has trebled in recent years according to a study conducted by the American Society for Industrial Security ("ASIS").

3. Have you ever considered the advantages to your competitors of eavesdropping on meetings in your boardroom? With bugging devices freely available from
retail outlets, it’s a lot easier than you think.

4. If you suspect you are bugged you may well be - be wary of spy shop bug detectors: They may demonstrate well (red your dead, green your clean!) but are generally ineffective.

5. Be wary of contacting a private investigator to help you with your problem (in a recent survey over 70% of London Private Detectives stated that they would plant a bug to obtain information). Few have in house countermeasures expertise.

6. How do I protect my company against the threat of bugging?
There are three basic approaches:

Purchase equipment & train your staff internally.
Use a specialist sweep contractor.
A combination of the above two options.

If you don't have the basic skills or resources to organise an in-house team and your only alternative is to hire a contractor, at least research the options.

7. We operate internationally for a wide variety of corporate clients and government agencies. Typical sectors include finance, oil and minerals, media, legal, professional, defence, aerospace and leading high technology companies to name but a few!

We have worked for over 70% of the UK’s top 100 companies as well as providing training and equipment for their security teams. We guarantee a discreet and confidential service. After each visit we provide a fully-documented report detailing target analysis, the scope of work done and recommendations on all aspects of security where appropriate.

8. Our engineers are recruited from government communications agencies, Special Forces communications and British Telecom. There is a programme in place whereby they regularly undergo refresher training with the Audiotel factory.

9. Give some thought to what you are going to do if a bug is found. Take care not to alert the eavesdroppers, if your TSCM team use good operating practice you can then either remove the bug or pass false information.

It may be possible to put procedures in place to see who planted the device.

What the law says on the matter the law

10. Not all TSCM companies are the same. Ensure that they are equipped with up to date counter measures receivers / spectral analysis equipment and non linear junction detectors / brooms (to detect and locate passive devices).