Spy coins and the need for tin-foil hats

[billcoe]

Spy coins discovered

 

The civil libertarian thread and this popped up at the same time.

 

 

Part of it says:

 

"In a U.S. government warning high on the creepiness scale, the Defense Department cautioned its American contractors over what it described as a new espionage threat: Canadian coins with tiny radio frequency transmitters hidden inside.

 

The government said the mysterious coins were found planted on U.S. contractors with classified security clearances on at least three separate occasions between October 2005 and January 2006 as the contractors traveled through Canada.

 

Intelligence and technology experts said such transmitters, if they exist, could be used to surreptitiously track the movements of people carrying the spy coins.

 

The U.S. report doesn't suggest who might be tracking American defense contractors or why. It also doesn't describe how the

Pentagon discovered the ruse, how the transmitters might function or even which Canadian currency contained them.

 

Further details were secret, according to the U.S. Defense Security Service, which issued the warning to the Pentagon's classified contractors. The government insists the incidents happened, and the risk was genuine.

 

"What's in the report is true," said Martha Deutscher, a spokeswoman for the security service. "This is indeed a sanitized version, which leaves a lot of questions."

 

Top suspects, according to outside experts: China, Russia or even France — all said to actively run espionage operations inside Canada with enough sophistication to produce such technology.

 

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service said it knew nothing about the coins."

 

 

Cue the erie music.

[Dechristo]

check it out, Bill

[tvashtarkatena]

An excellent technology for tracking the illicit movements of Canadian vending machines.

[kevbone]

"The Canadian Security Intelligence Service said it knew nothing about the coins".

 

Yah....OK.

[bstach]

An excellent technology for tracking the illicit movements of Canadian vending machines.

 

No kidding. Coins seem a dumb way of tracking someone's movements as they change hands often. Also, from what I read the coins had RFID transmitter in them. From the little I know, these require a receiver within short range so also does not seem like a great way to track someone's movement. Its hard to imagine what the goal was here. Maybe tracking someone's movement at a trade show? May need a speculation thread for this.

[Weekend_Climberz]

Coins seem a dumb way of tracking someone's movements as they change hands often.

 

Whatever, I never spend those stupid Canuck coins. I always end up with like $80 in change after a trip to up to the "Great White North". Pshaw...

[AlpineK]

My supply of canadian money would show my love of Molson or one of the canuck micros

Edited January 11, 2007 by AlpineK

[tvashtarkatena]

Anyone who put radio frequency transmitters in my Home Depot receipts could track me for years.

[gapertimmy]

RFID chips are all over the place, and the tin foil crowd is super freaked out about it. I personally think it is a valid way to track money... where it was made, if its authentic etc.

 

Casinos have been using the same technology for years in their chips.

[bstach]

Coins seem a dumb way of tracking someone's movements as they change hands often.

 

Whatever, I never spend those stupid Canuck coins. I always end up with like $80 in change after a trip to up to the "Great White North". Pshaw...

 

I'll PM you my address so you can send those coins back home.

[wfinley]

Coins seem a dumb way of tracking someone's movements as they change hands often.

 

Whatever, I never spend those stupid Canuck coins. I always end up with like $80 in change after a trip to up to the "Great White North". Pshaw...

 

I'll PM you my address so you can send those coins back home.

 

Ha! I'm with bstach... those loonies won't fit in the parking meters and thus sit in the change dish for years at a time. A perfect spy op considering some schmuck probably tried to jam his loonie into the vending machine only to find they're slightly larger than quarters. And given budget cuts they probably couldn't hire someone to fix the vending machines.

[gambo]

Spy teeth

There is a new design for a tooth implant that receives digital signals from radios and mobile phones. Sounds are transferred from the tooth into the inner ear by bone resonance. With your jawbone playing antenna and your head the receiver set, your newly enhanced teeth could allow you to hear the alarm clock without waking your partner, tune into your favorite music and even receive orders from far away galaxies while you're out playing golf. . My teeth pick up Morse code. Starts softly de-de-de-de-de-de fading and then up full strength DE-DE-DE-DE-DE-DE DE-DE-DE-DE!

[lI1|1!]

story reversed

 

Friday, January 19, 2007

 

Whoops! Report of spy coins false, U.S. says

 

By TED BRIDIS

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

 

WASHINGTON -- Reversing itself, the Defense Department says an espionage report it produced that warned about Canadian coins with tiny radio frequency transmitters was not true.

 

The Defense Security Service said it never could substantiate its own published claims about the mysterious coins. It has begun an internal review to determine how the false information was included in a 29-page report about espionage concerns.

 

The service had contended since late June that such coins were found planted on U.S. contractors with classified security clearances on at least three separate occasions between October 2005 and January 2006 as the contractors traveled through Canada.

 

"The allegations, however, were found later to be unsubstantiated following an investigation into the matter," the agency said in a statement published on its Web site last week.

 

Intelligence and technology experts were flabbergasted over the initial report, which suggested such transmitters could be used to surreptitiously track the movements of people carrying the coins.

 

Experts said such tiny transmitters almost certainly would have limited range to communicate with sensors no more than a few feet away, such as ones hidden inside a doorway. The metal coins also would interfere with any signals emitted, they said.

 

Experts warned that hiding tracking technology inside coins would be fraught with risks because the spy's target might inadvertently give away the coin or spend it buying coffee or a newspaper.

 

The now-disavowed report never suggested who might be tracking American defense contractors or why. It never described how the Pentagon discovered the purported ruse, how the transmitters worked or even which Canadian currency allegedly contained them.

 

The service initially said its report on the spy coins was accurate but said further details about the coins were classified.

[Dechristo]

I'm still suspicious of the Susan B. Anthony dollar and the 1909 SVDB penny.

[olyclimber]

illuminati

[Mr_Phil]

Contractors *should* be required to carry MLU's. Canada (a.k.a. Eastern Alaska, eh?) is just doing the leg work for us.

[tvashtarkatena]

story reversed

 

Friday, January 19, 2007

 

Whoops! Report of spy coins false, U.S. says

 

By TED BRIDIS

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

 

WASHINGTON -- Reversing itself, the Defense Department says an espionage report it produced that warned about Canadian coins with tiny radio frequency transmitters was not true.

 

Oh, yeah, right. Nice try trying to cover this up. When vending machines all over Canada are taken out by cruise missiles, we'll know this retraction was bullshit.