Danger! You're Being Watched!

It's no coincidence that in the past 2 years no one has been safe from the Internet. Classified documents have been posted, internal and highly personal emails have surfaced and even recordings of sordid breakups barrage our ears with the most personal of information. And we love it. The public eats up these “behind the curtain” tidbits like candy.

Information is not safe anywhere anymore. Recently I attended a highly sensitive meeting in person with clients about an upcoming court case. I removed the battery from my Blackberry and set it on the table. Everyone looked at me like I was nuts. To me, it was simple, if information or a recording resulted from the meeting and ended up on You Tube, I wanted to remove myself from blame ahead of time.

It's only too easy to record conversations, video, swipe texts, emails, and upload them to any number of websites heavily trafficked by an insatiable public like You Tube, The Smoking Gun, Wikileaks and of course the innumerable gossip websites. The resulting damage can ruin careers, legal cases, reputations and open a Pandora’s box of civil lawsuit horrors.

So how do you protect yourself in a sensitive case with a client sitting on information that could damage their futures? Protect them from themselves.

Start by insisting your client install password login and Internet firewalls for their personal computers. Discipline yourself and your client not to email or text sensitive case information. Don’t leave case sensitive voicemails. Keep all sensitive information on a hard drive not connected to the Internet. Discuss your legal issues with a client in person in a bug swept room, preferably your office.

Invest in a wireless bug, camera and micro bug detector. These handy gadgets detect wiretapping, GPStracking devices, recording devices and laser tapping. Best of all, this device emits white sound that makes recording impossible. The cost won’t break the bank either, an all-in-one usually rings in at about 350 dollars.

Does this all sound a little too 007 to you? Information is power and thanks to cheaper spyware easier than ever to obtain. Do what you can ahead of time to protect yourself and your client.