Alan Pruitt

► Terrorists may use Google Earth, but fear is no reason to ban it

► The Guardian

► Source: Cryptogram / http://www.schneier.com

Feb 14 2009 — It regularly comes as a surprise to people that our own infrastructure can be used against us. And in the wake of terrorist attacks or plots, there are fear-induced calls to ban, disrupt, or control that infrastructure. According to officials investigating the Mumbai attacks, the terrorists used images from Google Earth to help learn their way around. This isn’t the first time Google Earth has been charged with helping terrorists: in 2007, Google Earth images of British military bases were found in the homes of Iraqi insurgents. Incidents such as these have led many governments to demand that Google remove or blur images of sensitive locations: military bases, nuclear reactors, government buildings, and so on. An Indian court has been asked to ban Google Earth entirely. More »

Arson Investigations

The purpose of this Google Knol about Arson Investigations is to provide professional investigators a portal to collaborate on a community developed “best practices” guide that can be used in any jurisdiction and at any location on the globe.

This Google Knol is a moderated collaboration and any professional investigator (private or public sector) is encouraged to make a contribution that will enrich our professional investigator community.

10 Privacy Settings Every Facebook User Should Know

Now that Facebook is the hip and cool way to let e-v-e-r-y-o-n-e know where you are and what you are up to — it is time to reduce your social media visibility just enough so that you don’t attract undue attention. This link offers some sound recommendation to all Facebook users and it receives “2 thumbs up” from this Facebook nerd.

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The Director of National Intelligence (DNI) serves as the head of the Intelligence Community (IC) and is the principal advisor to the President, the National Security Council, and the Homeland Security Council (HSC) for intelligence matters related to national security.

This report offers to readers a concise overview of the United States Intelligence Community.

If you replied to the Google AdWords campaign for Identity Management; please contact me directly using the “Contact” tab at the bottom (left) of the tray and I will contact you directly about your query. Thank you!

Source:  High-Risk Riches For Mexico’s “Narco Wives”

Teenage girls in northwest Mexico are dazzled by the glamorous “narco wives” who laze in beauty salons, draped in designer gear, getting Swarovski crystals glued onto their fingernails. Each year, dozens compete in beauty pageants in the sun-baked hills of Sinaloa state where their legendary good looks draw wealthy drug traffickers who will sometimes pluck one out and spirit her off to a mountain hide-out. Career prospects are few for Sinaloan girls, and landing a prominent drug trafficker means entering a world of untold riches — luxury mansions, SUVs, endless spa sessions and a closet full of the priciest labels on the planet. The dangers of getting sucked into the gangland world have jumped, however, as an army crackdown by President Felipe Calderon has sparked new turf wars and hitmen ignore old codes against slaying their enemies’ wives, girlfriends or children. In a sobering reminder of the risks they run, the reigning “Miss Sinaloa” beauty queen was arrested last month with her smuggler boyfriend in a truck full of guns and cash. More »

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The latest narco-terrorism information involving Mexican cartels.

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Wayward biweekly journal focusing on not yet established intelligence news by Roger Vleugels (NL).

Please join a professional discussion about Top Private-Sector Security Concerns in 2008:

As reported by the Overseas Security Advisory Council on January 7, 2009.

Source URL: http://www.osac.gov/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=95600

Private Sector Says Terrorism, Maritime Piracy, Corruption Among Growing Threats

Terrorism loomed large as one of the top security concerns of 2008 for U.S. businesses, nongovernmental organizations and academic institutions operating overseas, according to private sector constituents of the Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC).

“This past year we saw terrorist attacks against U.S. and other Western interests in northern Africa, the Arabian peninsula, in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and in Turkey,” said Todd Brown, a Special Agent with the Department of State’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security and Executive Director of OSAC. “And the targets of these attacks have been not only U.S. Government facilities and personnel, but in some cases U.S.-based businesses and non-governmental organizations.” More »

Please join a professional discussion about Small Executive Protection Detail Information.

Alan’s note: If you have been following my posts about Online Identity Management (OIM), then a lot of this blog post is relevant to privacy and OIM. Following these “best practices” can create a larger “privacy bubble” for almost anyone’s situation.

Stay Safe!

Although not an all-inclusive list, the following suggestions can be used by small executive protection details as a starting point to help mitigate collection efforts against U.S. interests. Note: This information could apply differently depending on location. For detailed information on the feasibility of some of this information at the ground level, you could contact the Regional Security Office of the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate.

Suggestions for Protectees and their Families:

Legal Letter: Sometimes a local government will honor requests for personal names to be taken off official public records, as well as other open sources of information, like property titles, utility records, etc. This is something your legal department could pursue.

DBA (Doing Business As): In lieu of using the protectee’s name on legal and financial records, consider establishing a DBA entity for all owned property, credit cards, utilities, vehicle registration, loans, leases (including storage facilities), magazines/newspapers, etc. More »