◆ SpookStack

tion and has failed to pass in the two years it has been pending. As for CUfrent federal wiretap! laws, there are as many inter- ipretations as there are courts and judges. Some judges hold wiretapping a crime in itself, while others hold it illegal only} ‘Jif’ the intercepted messages are! ‘Idisclosed. ‘ ALABAMA, LIKE 32 other, _{states, has, laws making wire-; tapping a crime punishable by- ,|heavy fines and jail sentences. Under Title 48, Sections 415 and, 416, of the Alabama Code, wire- tapping or interferring with telephone communication is a ‘misdemeanor punishable by a '$500 fine ‘or six months in jail, ‘lor both. Eleven states have no laws lat all governing wiretapping recorded telephone _convers&-| tions. Six states permit wire-| tapping — but confine its legal] use mainly to law enforcement. The threat to privacy is by ino means limited to monitored] phone conversations. A child can order through the mail a $15 device which magnifies sound and can pick up a conversation in a room across the street. For $17.90, anyone can ‘have an instrument which “taps” a telephone without touching aj wire. For $150, a budding spy can buy a television camera which| can scan a room in complete wsecrecy and transmit pictures, ‘with sound, to a hidden receiv- ler several blocks away. PRIVATE DETECTIVES con- ceal microphones, some with built-in transmitters, in hat- ibands, wrist watches or tie clasps. Microphones, no larger than a button, feeds conversa- tions to a recorder concealed on ithe detective's person, then re- Jays it to a receiver several; blocks away. Tiny transmitters can be in-| stalled in rooms, offices andj even automobiles. They are pow- erful enough to send conversa- . tions several blocks to several miles. t . Even executives have reached O ficult, most telephone bugging) devices can be detected. Lingo said tete-ts-no spe- clal equipment for revealing the presence of a bug, bat added the devices can and oft- len do betray themselves. In all the three cases here in| <= |Alabama, the bugs malfunc- t tioned and caused trouble on the| telephone lines. In Miss Poole's} * case, there was a buzzing on the: line even after a number had Ibeen dialed. \ « , The two bugs installed in Bir-. imingham homes caused other. ; conversations to “leak” through: In other words, the user of the | bugged phone, could hear other ‘ people talking while they tried; + to carry on their own conversa-;_ + tions. Sometimes, a malfunctioning bug will cause interrupted dial-, ing or other oddities in thel Bhone’s operation. A PERSON WHO suspects his phone has been tapped can easi-| ly relieve his mind by asking the telephone company to check; his line. If the ‘repairman finds) ‘@ “voltage drop” on the line, it; is almost certain the phone’ is being tapped somehow, All bugs aren't detectable how- ever, For example anyone can be recorded by the person on the, other end of the line without de-| tection. Anyone suspecting his con- versation Is being recorded, can foul the recording by sim- ply tapping the mouthplece of ‘the phone with a pencil or oth- er objects during the conver- sation. The noise will magnify and blot out parts of the con- versation. Similar results can be ob- tained by other noises in the room, such as music, a loud television or even running wa- ter. Devices for recording tele- iphone conversations are ex- tremely sensitive and will mag- nify the slightest noise, ABOVE ALL, Col. Lingo ‘warned, make sure the man who comes to. check for ter-|. mites or to check your phone is who he says he is — ask for, credentials. If he has" none, the point where they fidget if al visitor evessomuch as sets a briefcase or purse near them. :. Although it extremely check with his office. Don’t let| unidentified people in your ho a There was a time when secret bu a ~ ° ° . ‘Bugs’ in Birmingham home This tiny transmitter (top photo) was found at- tached to the telephone wire in the home of a pri- vate citizen in Birmingham. The miniature device is transistorized, has its own power supply and meas: ; ures about 2% by 1 inches. It. is tuned to a certain - frequency and is capable of transmitting both ends of a telephone conversation several blocks. Photo be-« low shows how the transmitter was installed in the Birmingham home. Someone entered the basement } key, connected the device, the it with insulation. This particular bug cost between | $150 and $250. a | formation was filched with the ef liquor, women and i terFeption — that time is lot yast|| Today. it’s done far_mo! ierificaly and forms 4 fl threat to freedom of pri- acy than ever before. E