A microphone was found in the house of the parents of someone. It was connected to the fridge electrical outlet. It contained a microphone, two antennas and a SIM card.
A microphone was found in a house.
An audio surveillance device was found in the Libertad anarchist library in Paris, France. The device was hidden inside the printer-copier of the library. It was composed of two microphones, an antenna, a transformer, a battery, a small box containing an electronic card, a 64 GB SD card and a SIM card from the cell phone provider Orange. According to the communique which announced the discovery of the device, it was a surveillance device of model RB800 marketed by the Italian company Innova.
Analysis of the SD card revealed that :
- The device was equipped with a 'voice activation' function, i.e. it only activated when its microphone picked up a sufficiently high sound level. In the month and a half prior to its discovery, it was activated 2,061 times, with a minimum activation duration of 58 seconds, a maximum duration of 12 hours and an average duration of 10 minutes.
- When the device was 'activated' by the sound level, it transmitted data over the telephone network (presumably the audio data captured by its microphone), generally at a rate of a few KB/s, with peaks of 100 KB/s.
- The temperature of the device varied between 14°C and 50°C, with an average of 22°C. Its temperature rose sharply when it was transmitting data.
- RB800-en.pdf: product description of the RB800 device (in English).
- RB800-fr.pdf: product description of the RB800 device (in French).
A microphone was found in a car. It was hidden inside the vehicle. The night before the device was found, one of the car's windows was broken, a few things inside it were stolen, and four men were seen tampering with the vehicle — the theft was presumably a cover-up for the device installation.
A GPS tracker and a microphone were found in a car. The device was attached with strong magnets. It contained a SIM card.
A camera and a microphone were found on a bike in Bavaria, Germany. They were hidden under the bike seat, inside a container resembling a tool kit. The device consisted of a main unit (~ 12 x 12 x 0.5 cm) connected to a camera (max 1 x 1 x 1 cm), a microphone, a battery (25 x 5 x 4 cm, Li-ion, 3.7 V, 60 Wh, 16.0 Ah), a modem (EM7565 Sierra Wireless), a SIM card (Telekom), a GSM antenna and a 4G antenna (Antenova SR4L002). The camera pointed outwards through a very small hole, directed at the entrance of the home under surveillance — it was impossible to identify it with the naked eye. A few minutes after the surveillance device was spotted and removed, the suspected spies came to retrieve their bike.
A microphone was found in a flat in Rome, Italy. It was hidden on the back of the kitchen oven. It was powered by the oven electrical supply, and was also equipped with a battery.
A microphone was found in an anarchist space. The device was hidden inside a power outlet. It was equipped with a microphone, two antennas, a SIM card, a memory card and a battery.
A GPS tracker and an audio recording device were found in a car. They were located behind a panel of the front ceiling light. They were connected by a power cable and drew their power from the supply line to the rear ceiling light. The GPS tracker contained, among other things, a GPS receiver “u-blox MAX-M8”, a card slot with a 16 GB microSD card, a cellular chip “u-blox LISA-U230” along with a Telekom SIM card, as well as a removable three-pin antenna module. The audio recording device contained a voltage converter, a 3.7 V, 550 mAh lithium-ion battery, and a small circuit board which included a 32 GB microSD card and the “NN01-104” antenna from the company Ignion (formerly “Fractus”). The audio recording device tapped into the hands-free system's existing microphone, which was located behind a cover above the rearview mirror.
A tracking surveillance device and two microphones were found in a car. The tracking device was connected to the power supply of the control unit underneath the steering wheel on the left-hand side. It was attached with a magnet, insulating tape and a heating cloth. The microphones were located at the end of a long cable running along the inside of the internal side pillar linings of the windscreen to the underside of the roof of the car. The tracking device used the GLONASS positioning system, and consisted of an antenna connected to a multi-frequency positioning receiver box containing a micro SIM card.
A listening device was found in an allotment area. It was disguised as a rock. It contained two microphones.
A surveillance device was found inside the smartphone of the campaign manager of a Russian anti-corruption activist. It included a SIM card, microphone, GPS tracker, and a microcircuit to amplify the radio signal. Some of the phone components were modified to make room for the surveillance device. The device was installed when the owner of the phone was in custody and her phone confiscated. The device was probably installed by the FSB (Federal security service).
A GPS tracker and a microphone were found in a car. The two devices were installed separately, each in one of the front seat headrests. The headrests were opened and glued back together after the bugs were installed. Both devices were equipped with two batteries each. The first device, which was apparently the control unit, was equipped with a GSM module to send GPS data and recorded audio files to the cops via the SIM card. On the control unit itself, there was a GPS/GSM antenna, the connection to the batteries and a microphone. Inside the device, a SIM card from “Deutsche Telekom” was found. The second device seemed to be the actual audio monitoring device. It also had a battery connection, a smaller antenna and two microphones, which had been glued into the holes for the seat support, with anti-vibration padding. This device was equipped with an SD card, but there were no more audio files stored in it. Apparently, the SD card was used as a storage medium for the operating system data and for temporary storage of the recorded data. According to what was known at the time of discovery, the GPS tracker was installed in August 2019 and the listening device intended for “internal surveillance of a vehicle” during or after September 2019. These devices were obviously installed by the federal criminal police (BKA) in order to retrieve information on the persons accused in the present “criminal association” proceedings.
Four microphones were found in a house in Follonica. There was one in each room. They were connected to the electrical system of the house using a transformer and a battery. Each device was equipped with a SIM card and a memory card.
According to the source that reported the discovery of the microphones, they were supplied by the italian company Lutech.
Microphones were found in the Anarchist Garage in Pisa. They were connected to the electrical system of the building. The devices were installed as part of an investigation following an arson attack on a vivisection laboratory in Pisa.
According to the source that reported the discovery of the microphones, they were supplied by the italian company Lutech.
A microphone and two GPS trackers were found in a vehicle. One of the trackers was attached with a magnet to the rear bumper, on the right side. The other one, along with the microphone, was placed in the air vents which were between the windscreen flap and the windscreen. The first tracker was equipped with an accumulator made of five 3.6V lithium batteries connected in a series, and a SIM card from Omnitel (former name of Vodafone Italia, an Italian operator). The other tracker was equipped with a SIM card from Movistar (Spanish operator). Although the use of an Omnitel card (operator which doesn't exist anymore) and a Spanish card was weird, it seemed these trackers were assembled by the same people and probably installed in the months preceding the discovery.
A surveillance device capable of recording images and sound was found during a gathering in front of a jail. The device was located behind a few stones, in a wall along a path, wrapped up in a black garbage bag, next to the place where this kind of gatherings usually happened. It contained a battery, a SD card, a microphone, and a camera hidden behind a rock where a hole had been made. It seemed that the device couldn't send the data, which was stored on the SD card. An analysis of the content of the SD card showed that the device was activated the 3rd of June and installed on the afternoon of the 7th, the day before the gathering.
The pictures of the device show that a digital video recorder of model DK-PV500E, marketed by the italian company DSE (Digital Surveillance Equipment), was part of the device. This suggests that the device was supplied by the italian company DSE.
A GPS tracker and a listening device were found in the car of an Irish republican. The devices were hidden in the undercarriage of the car. Shortly after the discovery of the device, the home of the car owner was raided by the Special Detective Unit (SDU), and the vehicle was seized.
Microphones were found in a squatted house. They were located in the kitchen. Investigation files showed that the audio they recorded was used to prove that the defendants knew each other, often talked together, were preoccupied by the creation by the Italian State of a DNA database and the impossibility to refuse giving a DNA sample, that they discussed a text to publish or chatted about stuff.
Six microphones and a camera were found in a house. The microphones were located in power outlets and switch cases, one above the intercom in the corridor, two other in the living-room, and the three last ones in private bedrooms. The camera was located inside the intercom in the corridor and connected to the microphone above it. Each microphone was equipped with a battery, and, except for the one in the corridor, with a SIM card and a memory card. The camera lens could observe through a small hole already present in the intercom structure and slightly worked on to fit the device.
A microphone was found in a car. It was located in the upholstery of the vehicle roof. The device wires were hidden in the isolation case. The device was connected to the car electrical system, so that the bug turned on when the car started. It was connected to a Vodafone SIM card protected by a PIN code.
Two microphones and a GPS tracker were found in the car of one of the persons under investigation for the 15 September repressive operation (see the sources). Microphones were located above the driver's head, next to the junction of the car roof upholstery and the windscreen. The GPS tracker was located in the fuse box. Everything was powered by a connection to the headlights cable (headlights that were dysfunctional).
Two microphones and a GPS tracker were found inside a car. The microphones were placed inside the upholstery of the car roof, just above the driver's head. The GPS tracker was stuck to the car body with a magnet. The bugs were connected to the car power supply at the level of the pedals, just below the lever that opens the front trunk.
Three outdoor surveillance cameras were found outside, at an event organized in support of a struggle against a project of nuclear waste burying center. The cameras were all located along a 250m pathway leading to the event place. Two cameras of model BOLYGUARD MG983G were found laying in the grass and in a bush, 80cm above ground and were covered by a kind of camouflage hairnet. The third camera, of model RECONYX HYPERFIRE SM750, was found on a tree trunk, 1m20 above ground and had a khaki color. The contents of the SD memory cards revealed several things: the devices were placed on the same day very early in the morning (between 3h30 and 4h); the three devices were capable of night vision, two of them were configured to take pictures and one to record video and sound; their placements allowed them to take pictures of the front and back license plates of cars driving on the pathway, and also of people following the pathway by foot; one of the cameras was useless because of leaves in its field of vision.
According to the source that reported the discovery of the cameras, the cameras that were found were marketed by the companies RECONYX and Boly, based in the United States.
- BOLYGUARD-MG983G-en.pdf: user manual of the BOLYGUARD MG983G camera (in English).
- BOLYGUARD-MG983G-fr.pdf: user manual of the BOLYGUARD MG983G camera (in French).
- RECONYX-HYPERFIRE-en.pdf: user manual of the RECONYX HYPERFIRE camera (in English).
A microphone was found in the squat Awhanee. It was located in a multi-socket adapter. The device contains a printed circuit board and a battery. It seems that the device was installed during a house search by cops earlier in the month.
Two microphones were found at a comrades' house.
Several surveillance devices were installed from 2015 to April 2018 in the Ecuadorian embassy in London to surveil Julian Assange, founder of the news organization Wikileaks, which had taken refuge in the embassy since 2012. During this period of time:
- The interior cameras were replaced with higher resolution cameras equipped with hidden microphones.
- Microphones were hidden inside a fire extinguisher and above the storage cabinet in the bathroom used by Assange.
- Special stickers were attached on the exterior windows of the embassy to facilitate the use of a laser microphone (able to capture audio by detecting the sound vibrations of the windows) from a building nearby.
- A device capable of transmitting in real-time the information collected by the other devices was installed.
The microphone inside the fire extinguisher was equipped with an SD card and a battery which was changed every twelve hours, while the microphone in the bathroom was connected to the electrical system of the building. The devices were installed by the Spanish company Undercover Global, officially in charge of the security at the embassy. Their installation appeared to have been ordered by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
Two microphones, a GPS tracker and a transmitter were found in a car. Everything was positioned on the car body with magnets over the driver's door and linked to an electric cable carrying power to one of the lights inside the car. There was also an additional battery. The microphones were stuck with gum over the driver's and passenger's head seats. The power cable, battery, microphones and GPS were all linked to the transmitter. There was a TIM SIM card inside the transmitter.
A listening device was found in the former home of an Irish republican, who had died ten years prior to the discovery of the device. The device consisted of a small microphone, hidden in the ceiling of a downstairs room, along with a number of battery packs found under the floorboards of an upstairs bedroom.
Two microphones were found in the documentation space Il Tribolo. They were hidden inside a power outlet and in the junction box next to it.
Two microphones and a GPS tracker were found in a car. There was also a device equipped with an antenna, a SIM card from the TIM provider and a 16 GB memory card. The power cable was connected to the fuse box and to other wires located under the dashboard. Both microphones were located under the upholstery of the car roof and the wires arrived to the power supply through the car door. The magnetized GPS and the cards thingy with the antenna were hidden behind the speedometer. From what could be checked, everything had been placed in the car more than a year before the discovery and the microphones were recording even when the car engine was turned off, in a radius of several meters.
Microphones and a GPS tracker were found in a car. The device was placed in the fuse box. The car was having electrical problems (the battery had discharged twice in a month, sign of an abnormal electricity consumption).
Microphones and GPS trackers were found in two cars.
Microphones and GPS trackers were found in a car. The microphones were placed under the upholstery of the car roof, where the windscreen and the sun shields are. In one case the power cables reached beneath the wheel, in the other they were attached to the car lights.
A bug was found in an anarchist place inside an electric plug not connected to any network. On one of the edges was the acronym “ABG”.
A microphone was found at the Laboratorio Libertario Ligéra. The device was located inside a neon light attached to the ceiling. It consisted in three 9-volts batteries, joined together with insulating tape, with a microphone and antenna at each end.
Listening devices were found in the home of an activist. They were hidden in electric sockets.
A listening device was found in the home of an Irish republican. The device was built into a joist in a space between the ceiling and a bedroom floor. It contained several small listening devices that were attached to spotlights.
Two microphones were found at a comrades' home. The devices were inside two outlets. Each device consisted in a microphone linked to a transformer and a thingy containing a micro-SIM card.
A listening device and a tracking device were found on the car of an Irish republican. The listening device was attached to a rear wheel arch of the car by several powerful magnets. The tracking device was located under the opposite wheel arch. The listening device, able to monitor conversations inside and outside the vehicle, was powered by 12 long-life batteries. The tracking device also appeared to be battery-powered.
Three microphones coming with cameras were found in the alleys around a squat. The devices were pointing to the different entries of the house.
The pictures of the devices show that the cameras found were marketed by the italian company Elkron, which became a subsidiary of the italian company Urmet in 2012. This suggests that the cameras were supplied by the italian company Elkron.
A GPS tracker and a listening device were found on the car of an Irish republican. Parts of the device — battery packs and a transmitter — were hidden behind the car rear bumper.
Two microphones and portable scanners watching the Asilo Occupato were found. The microphones were inside the Asilo Occupato, connected to the electrical installation. The portable scanners are in a telecom booth very close to the squat.
Two bluetooth listening devices and a tracking device were found in the car of an Irish republican. The devices were hidden on the underside of the driver's seat, underneath carpet in the rear passenger footwell and affixed behind the rear seats.
Microphones were found in comrades' house.
Four microphones of the GSM type were found in two homes. In the first home, a microphone was placed next to the office where there was a computer (for some time, the loudspeakers connected to this computer were disrupted by an interference similar to the interference of a phone receiving a call), another in the outlet next to the kitchen table, the last one in the bedroom, in the outlet closest to the bed (the outlet cover had been pierced to direct the microphone towards the headboard). In the second home, a microphone was placed in the bedroom, in the outlet closest to the door, which gave onto the kitchen, so that it covered several places. The microphones of the first home were Vodafone mobile phones, with a transformer and antennas with a printed circuit board. The microphone of the second home was an older model, with two transformers and an antenna with a screw.
Two GSM-type microphones with GPS tracker were found in a car. The devices were placed inside the car ceiling (that hosted the small interior light). It consisted in Vodafone mobile phones, with a transformer and antennas with a printed circuit board. Microphones were pointed towards the front seats.
Two microphones were found in the anarchist space 76/A. The devices were placed in the air vents of the two rooms where gigs and initiatives were held. It consisted in three 9-volt batteries set up in parallel and stuck to a transmitter microphone with tape.
A listening and geolocation device was found on a scooter. The device components were located in the spare wheel bracket, next to the tank and behind the horn grid. The device was based on a device sold by Telit (an Italian supplier of wireless technologies). The device model was Telit GM862-GPS. It was capable of listening with a microphone, geolocating with a GPS antenna, and transmitting the collected information on the telephone network with a GSM antenna. The device was placed in the spot where the tank is along with a transformer and an accumulator. Both antennas (GPS and GSM) were connected to the device and ended up in the spare wheel bracket. The microphone, also connected to the device, ended up behind the horn grid. Wires connected the device to the scooter starting system. All these components were stuck to the scooter frame by strong magnets secured by tape. This scooter model doesn't have a battery (it dates back to the 1980s) and its engine generates alternating current, hence the presence of a transformer and an accumulator to guarantee the good functioning of this equipment even when the scooter was not moving.
- Telit-GM862.pdf: product description of the Telit GM862-GPS device (in English).
Four microphones and a camera were found in a house. A microphone was placed behind the fridge, another in the bedroom, another in a beam next to the ceiling light, another in the house entry. A graceful little camera filmed the entry stairs. All were connected through a transformer to the house electrical network.
Microphones and cameras were found in the 400colpi space. A first device was placed in an electrical case, strangely too hot. It consisted, along with a microphone, of a surveillance micro-camera. A second device was placed in an industrial outlet.
A microphone was found in the Panetteria Occupata inside a closed and sealed electricity meter. It was a microphone with a 300 MHz shortwave transmitter.
Microphones and a micro-camera were found in multiple homes. The devices were found in an amplifier, in the kitchen hood and in a cathode-ray television. The devices had microphones and 300 MHz transmitters with 200-300 meters range. In one case, the device could be activated by remote control (at a distance of hundreds of meters) and in another case it came with a micro-camera linked to a UHF band transmitter of the same range.
A microphone was found in an anarchist documentation center inside an electrical outlet. It was a transmitter-receiver.
A GPS tracker and a microphone were found in a car. The device was placed between the car body and the interior coating, and attached with two magnets. It was connected to the power supply by the car interior light wires. It consisted in a modified mobile phone, an antenna, a GPS and a microphone.
A microphone was found in the Doppiofondo documentation center inside an electrical outlet.
A GPS tracker and microphones were found in a car. The device was placed in a plastic container (badly) sticked under the roof. It contained two boxes, both of which contained a “base” mobile phone with a SIM card. From there wires went out, passing by a hole up to under the back seats. There were two microphones passing by the seat belt canal: the first at the driver's height, the second at the height of the levers used to adjust the seat, next to the back seats. The antenna was behind the back seat. Finally, still coming from these two boxes, was a wire that went through the car doors to reach the car fuse box.
A GPS tracker and a listening device were found under the car of someone linked to Irish republicans. Part of the devices was located under the car bumper. The listening device was able to use a microphone to convey conversations within the vehicle over a mobile phone network.
A microphone was found in the home of a comrade. The device was hidden inside an air inlet (ventilation system) of the house. It consisted in 12 cylindrical batteries and a microphone.
A listening device was found in the flat of a former political prisoner. It was located under the sofa. It was made of two meters of wiring with a microphone in the end. It was installed from the flat below, through a hole in the floor.
Two microphone receiver cases were found in the entry corridor of the building that hosted the Fuori Luogo space. Both devices were hidden above a fake ceiling in the entry corridor. They were directly connected to the phone line with telephone wires. They consisted in a main body, with a connector with external remote control, a digital receiver showing the strength of the received signal, and antennas. The presence of these two receivers probably meant that there were two emitting microphones in the space.
Microphones were found in a car. The device was placed in the car ceiling. It was connected to the car interior light power supply. It consisted in a modified mobile phone, an antenna and two microphones.
A listening device was found in the home of an Irish republican. It was located in a kitchen ceiling cavity. The device included two aerials, batteries and a microphone.
A surveillance device was found in the roof of a car. It was equipped with a microphone. It seemed that the device was causing interference that could be heard on the car radio.
A surveillance device was found in the vehicle of someone investigated as part of the operation “Cervantes”, a repressive operation against Italian anarchists. It was located in the roof of the car. It was equipped with one (or two) microphone(s). It was powered by sunlight. It seemed that the device was causing interference that could be heard on the car radio.
A listening device was found in offices used by Irish republicans. The device, disguised as a floor joist, was hidden under the floor of a first floor office with microphones pointing into the office and down into a conference room below. It included a large battery pack.
A listening and tracking surveillance device was found in a car used by Irish republicans. The device was built into the body of the car in such a way as to make it impossible for anyone carrying out repairs on the vehicle to find the device. It was able to track the location of the vehicle, record and transmit audio, and could be switched off and on by remote control. It included a microphone built into the middle of the roof of the vehicle, as well as rechargeable batteries wired to the car in such a way as to allow recharging only while the car is running. The wiring, which connected each part of the device, ran along the skin of the car.
