Customer Reviews

Surveillance Countermeasures: A Serious Guide To Detecting, Evading, And Eluding Threats To Personal Privacy

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Though it can get a bit dry at times, reading this book through is very well worth it. It covers a lot of material, whether it be foiling foot, vehicular, or technical surveillance attempts. Unlike some books that will include a few pages on eluding surveillance, listing techniques like "leave the TV on if you think you're bugged" or "make two right turns if you think you're followed" and leaving it at that, this one will provide you with more discreet and effective ways at accomplishing these goals.

It also offers insight on the mindset of your adversary, the survelliance operative. It is obvious that the authors are very knowledgeable in this field. So if you want to learn how to detect and elude surveillance like a smooth operative, this book is your one-stop solution.

The title to this book says it all literally. I was skeptical at first and I thought the title was just hype to sell the book but after reading half of it in one setting, I was totally wrong. For the average guy with basic knowledge on the subject, this book is sure to build on that. What I love most about this book is when you read about countermeasures and all that stuff you also learn about the measures taken by operators. It's all how you read the book. This book is very detailed and amusing at the same time. The things people plan against you are very well thought out. The countermeasures are also genius. Once again, the title holds great justice to the material inside. Furthermore, the tactics in this book are still being used today if this helps you when debating on purchasing this book.

ACM IV provides the finest product available at its price. Not only is the value worth the purchase of this book in and of itself, but the material is absolutely top notch.

During the course of my 25-year career, I spent my share of time conducting surveillances. I know many of the ins and outs.

The entire ACM IV series should be a part of every tradecraft professional's library. And the pages should be dog-eared.

This book is about detecting people who are following you, and observing your activities. It unfortunately does not cover countermeasures to other kinds of surveillance, such as video surveillance, which has become prevelant in our time.

In the ever changing "Information Age" in which we exist, more and more of us are voicing concerns about our fear of "Big Brother" and the amount of privacy that we can continue to maintain. With government agencies and pseudo-agencies, as well as more and more online businesses requesting more of our personal data, and storing this info in larger and larger databases, we all should be rightly alarmed and concerned. This book, I find, provides very helpful advice to the consumer on how to try and preserve their privacy while also making you aware of how others (crooks) are constantly looking for ways to pilfer your identity. While some areas of the book I did not consider to be detailed enough (particularly, areas on surveillance), overall, I considered the book to be very informative. However, be aware, that the everyday consumer is not the only one who may be reading this book!

Having some experience in counter-terrorism, as I read through the updated introduction to the latest edition of "Surveillance Countermeasures" I was struck by how applicable this instruction is to the emergent new-age threat we face. It is an unfortunate reality, but the realists among us understand that we have entered a dangerous stage in our society wherein we are not far from a relatively chaotic time to include a wide proliferation of suicide vest and vehicle bombing attacks in the streets of the US, Canada, and Europe.

Based on terrorist doctrine and the post-event examination of terrorist operations, we know that two of the primary stages in the terrorist operational process are "Intelligence and Surveillance" and "Pre-attack Surveillance and Planning". Target surveillance activity is arguably the most important portion of the terrorist attack cycle. This also represents the periods during which terrorist operatives are exposed and at their greatest risk of detection. Regardless of the internet research resources and technical stand-off surveillance capabilities, actual "eyes-on" surveillance remains a critical aspect of pre-operational planning, and places terrorist operatives in their most vulnerable positions. Therefore, the identification of terrorist surveillance efforts prior to final mission execution is the most effective means of threat detection and neutralization. Terrorist operatives and other such bad actors who conduct physical surveillance to facilitate their activities, however, operate under the hope and assumption that they are operating against unwitting, unaware, and non-surveillance conscious targets. Therefore, an awareness of the threat and the ability to perform surveillance detection and anti-surveillance are critical to countering these adversarial efforts.

This book demonstrates the techniques to effectively counter the most sophisticated physical surveillance methods employed by traditional adversaries. Interestingly, the most notorious terrorist training manual that is widely available over the internet has a chapter that deals largely with the methods of physical surveillance that are a regurgitation of the time-proven techniques that are common to the world's most sophisticated practitioners of surveillance. Coincidentally, "Surveillance Countermeasures" details exacting and effective methods to counter each of the specific methods endorsed in this and other known terrorist training resources.

I do not want to be misleading by implying that this book is written specifically to address the terrorist threat. However, it is widely applicable to the terrorist threat and the myriad criminal enterprises that endeavor to develop the information necessary to effectively execute violent attacks and assassinations as a means to achieve their operational objectives. And of course, it remains an unparalleled resource for investigators and counter-espionage professionals, as well as those responsible for VIP or critical asset protection.

This book is the most well written and thorough book I have read on the subject. These guys know what hey are talking about!

Sadly, this is a compendium of other peoples work. There are better sources for this information.

This is one of the silliest books I have ever read. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME!!!