By Maxine Shapiro, KERA 90.1 business commentator
Dallas, TX – Move over, James Bond. Sweet Aunt Mabel's in town and armed with more spy equipment than Ian Fleming could have ever imagined. I'm Maxine Shapiro with KERA Marketplace Midday.
Feeding on our paranoia, personal surveillance equipment is now a growing, viable industry. But unlike the baseless fear that sometimes sends us shopping for gas masks and masking tape, spy gadgets have - in a few cases - proven to be helpful. For example, who doesn't still get chills remembering the video caught of the Boston au pair hitting the child entrusted to her? Now "nanny cams" are everywhere, including that darling little teddy bear on Jimmy's shelf. Cost: $500.
The debate on the ethics of spying is too complex to deal with now. But what we can acknowledge is it's never acceptable to put a videocam in a ladies dressing room, or your girlfriend's or boyfriend's bathroom or a hotel room. Period. And unfortunately, all of the above is happening more regularly than ever. So a new industry has been developing over the past few years to combat the unscrupulous surveillance - counter-spying.
Today's Dallas Morning News reviews a device, which detects the other devices that might be spying on you - The Bugscanner. And it too is tiny enough to go undetected. So for $34.95, you can find out if your other half might be watching your every move. Clearly, there are other issues you need to deal with if you're even thinking that might be the case. But law enforcers warn, don't get a false sense of security if you bring the scanner to work and it's negative. People who are serious about spying will not use wireless equipment - and the scanner only detects wireless equipment.
But as I was reading about how widespread the amateur and immoral spying has grown, it too fed on my paranoia. Maybe I should bring a detector into public restrooms with me. My senses returned. Fear is one instinct I will not let be exploited. For KERA Marketplace Midday, I'm Maxine Shapiro.
Marketplace Midday Reports air on KERA 90.1 Monday - Friday at 1:04 p.m.
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