Is There Someone Listening? Communications Strategy In Espionage

Submitted by: Jenny Kettlewell

The communications strategies of secret agencies are in operation all around us. Huge amounts of top-level boffin brainpower are put into the creating and the cracking of codes and audio surveillance, but much of what they do is already known to us. Leonardo da Vinci practised cryptology in his writing to prevent prying eyes from understanding his diaries, and who can forget the famous victory of Enigma machine? The techniques of spies past and present can be found represented in our literature, history, cinema and even code-breaking word puzzles. How much of this secretive spycraft do you recognise?

Steganography

The classic clandestine communications strategy is one that most school children will be familiar with, if not be able to name. Steganography is the practise of hiding messages in a way that only the writer and the recipient know they are there to be read. The well known example is the invisible ink made from lemon juice, which many schools demonstrate in science lessons. When the ostensibly blank sheet of paper is (carefully!) held over a candle, or warmed with a steam iron, the ink browns and becomes visible, revealing the message.

Throughout history there have been a number of startlingly inventive uses of Steganography as a surreptitious communications strategy. In Ancient Ionia, the tyrant Histiaeus used the head of his favourite slave to send a message that would start a war. The slave s head was shaved and tattooed with an important secret message. When his hair had grown back he was sent out as a messenger; hence the phrase keeping it under your hat.

Shortwave Radios

You might consider shortwave radios equally old hat, but they are not the outmoded spy communications strategy you might think, even in the age of the mobile phone and Internet. Apparently, if you tune into the right frequency you can hear still voices exchanging messages, and some websites even publish the frequencies (in kHz) to listen in on in each country. Of course, even if you catch an exchange of messages, and are able to translate it into English, you would still have to break the code.

Audio Surveillance

If you do decide to pry on spies, you won t be the only one listening in. There are vast strategic communications agencies in governments across the world, especially in America, in which communications of all sorts are monitored to detect terrorist threats or to track known criminals.

This mass monitoring goes beyond the conventional police wire or phone tap, with computer banks scanning for certain subversive or threatening keywords in intercepted email messages and phone calls.

With foreign powers in mind, apparently the majority of intelligence gathered is from open sources of information. According to the Navy Deputy Chief, only 1% of their intelligence originates from secret agents, with a further 5% from mysterious sources described as semi-open .

As well as listening in, it s within the powers of governments to stop us talking to each other, too. Such a shady anti-communications strategy is mostly reserved for special targets that authorities are watching closely and are soon to apprehend.

With a cell phone jammer, it is possible to blanket a building or overload the local tower so that no one can connect to a network.

So when you can t get a No Signal indicator on your mobile phone, bear in mind it could be the government blocking your calls!

About the Author: Jenny Kettlewell is the Marketing Manager for Multitone Systems, a leading telecommunications strategy company. Multitone has implemented custom, integrated

communications strategy

for businesses and organisations in the public and private sector for over 75 years.

Source:

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