◆ SpookStack

[tion a ‘and has failed to pass in the ficult, most “telephone bugging hee haan rani davinac nan ha dotartad wu years it nas ocen PRB, (UU Eo VE DE UO de As forcurcant federal wiretap! Lingg said there is ‘no spe~ ws, there are as many inter-| cial equipment Ter revtaling pretations as there are courts) the presence of a bug, ling and judges. Some judges hold] added the devices can and oft- | wiretapping a crime in itself,/en do betray themselves. while others hoid it ‘legal only In all the three cases here in if the intercepted messages arelwiabama, the bugs malfune. disclosed. . . tioned and caused trouble on the telephone lines. In Miss Peole’s- ALABAMA, LIKE 32 other ycase, there was a buzzing on the jheavy fines and jail sentences. Under Title 48, Sections 415 and The two bugs installed in Bir- _|mingham homes caused other f16, of the Alabama Code, wire conversations to ‘‘leak” through.’ telephone communication is a In other words, the ‘user of the misdemeanor punishable by aj24See¢ Phone, could hear olner $500 fine or six months in jail,/People talking while they tried or both. to carry on their own conversa- tions... - . Sometimes, a malfunctioning bug will cause interrupted dial- ing or other oddities in the phone’s operation. . Eleven states have no laws at all governing wiretapping or recorded telephone conversa- tions. Six states permit wire- tapning — but confine its legal use mainly to law enforcement.| > A PERSON WHO suspects his The threat to privacy is by)phone has been tapped can easi- no Means limited to monitored ie relieve his mind by asking phone conversations. the telephone company to check A child can: order through jhis line, If the repairman finds the mail a $15 device which [a “voltage drop” on the line, it magnifies sound and can pick jis almost certain the phone is up a conversation in-a room ‘being tapped somehow. across the street. All bugs aren't detectable how- For $17.90, anyone can havelever, For example anyone can an instrument which “taps” a|be recorded by the person on the {telephone without touching alother end of the line without de- wire. - tection. . For $150, a budding spy can} Anyone suspecting his con- buy a television camera which|-versation is being recorded, can scan a room in complete! can foul the recording by sim- secrecy and transmit pictures, ply tapping the mouthpiece of with. sound, to a hidden receiv-| the phone with a pencil or oth- er several blocks away. er objects during the conver- : sation. The noise will magnify PRIVATE DETECTIVES con-| and blot out parts of the con- ceal microphones, some with] versation. . built-in transmitters, in hat-| Similar results can be _ ob- bands, wrist watches or tie|tained by other noises in ‘the Toranh ance a2 mncis clasps. Microphones, no ljatger room, such as music, a loud than a button, feeds conversa-/television or even running wa- tions to a recorder concealed on|ter. Devices for recording tele- the detective’s person, then re-|phone conversations are ex- lays it to a receiver severalitremely sensitive and will mag- blocks away. . nify the slightest ‘noise. Tiny transmitters can be in- \ Stalled in rooms, offices and AB OVE ALL, Col. Lingo even automobiles. They:are pow-|warned, make sure the man erful enough to send conversa-/who- comes to check for ter-| tions several blocks to several|mites orto check your phone is ‘miles. fe who he says he is — ask for Even executives have reached crédentials, Tf he has none, the point where they fidget if alcheck with “his office. Don't let visitar_even_so much as sets alunidentified people in your briefcase or purse near them. |home. : Although it is extremely dif-! There was a time when secret ial tech oe eed beer id ae ‘Bugs’ in Birmingham hom This tiny transmitter (top photo) was found at- tached to the telephone wire in the, home of a pri- vate citizen in Birmingham, The miniature device is ‘transistorized, has its own power supply and meas- ures about 244 by 1 inches. It is tuned to a certain frequency and is capable of transmitting both ends of a telephone conversation several blocks, Photo be- low shows how the transmitter was installed i in the Birmingham home. Someone entered the basement ss key, connected the device, then con d it with insulation. This particular. bug cost between $150 and $250.: . formation was filched with 1 the ae liquor, women and m: ni ception — that time is lotg sigptitaly. it’s done far. mate ei ipa. and forms a cf ter threat to freedom of acy than ever before, than ever before, -