Devices that can be used for eavesdropping have literally been around for centuries. Even before audio could be recorded and played back later, it could be listened to remotely. This type of technology has evolved in a number of ways over the years, all of which are worth exploring.
The Evolution of Eavesdropping: An Overview
The earliest examples of eavesdropping was a person or spy who would get within ear shot to overhear a discussion. The word its self has manifested from the act of someone outside typically standing under the eaves of a structor or home and listening to the conversations inside, hence eavesdropping. Later architectural or structural designers, sometimes created conical features to amplify the spoken word from one area to another. Today in the US Capitals Statuary Hall and among many structures around the world it is believed unintentionally a conversation can be heard from across the room.
Later a device would be placed in a fixed location, like on a wall or under a floorboard, and collect sound indefinitely. That audio information was then transmitted via a wire to a receiving device, allowing the listener to hear everything that their target was saying. By World War II, these devices were getting smaller and smaller – making them easy to hide. They were also mobile, meaning they no longer had to be placed in a fixed environment.
As technology in general continued to advance, remote listening by way of tiny radio transmitters became the new norm. Microphones had gotten so small that they may be entirely invisible to the naked eye. They can be concealed virtually anywhere, from picture frames to wall sockets. A durable radio transmitter can be embedded in virtually any everyday item, from briefcases to wallets, turning them into eavesdropping devices in an instant.
Much of the evolution of eavesdropping technology can be traced back to the advancement of the transistor over the years. Starting in the late 1940s, transistors had been used to regularly make electronic components smaller. This helped spawn innovation throughout the electronics industry and led to the development of the calculator, the hearing aid and even the personal computer. Transistors also made it possible to develop smaller and more effective transmitters and microphones – both key in advancing eavesdropping technology.
This type of eavesdropping is also becoming more common as a result. It has been estimated that as many as 33% of divorce cases in the United States have had at least one conversation among one of the parties involved intercepted by a hidden microphone. We have come a long way from the origins of the word eavesdropping to today. Now information can be recorded in Florida and retrieved from a cloud server by someone else residing a crossed the country.
Is Electronic Surveillance Illegal?
In Florida we are known as a “two-party consent state”. Meaning it is a crime to intercept or record a conversation via wire (wiretapping), in-person or over a phone without their knowledge or consent. Federal and State laws are set in place to preserve an individual’s right to privacy with whom they are in communicating with.
