Recent Book: Countering Industrial Espionage
| Published date | 01 January 1983 |
| Date | 01 January 1983 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/0032258X8305600115 |
| Subject Matter | Recent Book |
RECENT BOOKS
PETER
HEIMS:
Countering Industrial Espionage
20th Century Security Education Ltd. £15.
Peter Heims is clearly an experienced
security consultant who has been
engaged in the problems of industrial
espionage for many years. He defines this
commercial phenomenon hoping to alert
the company executive of the dangers
posed by this potential iceberg in the
stormy sea of industrial success. The
reasons that have kept the vast majority
of industrial espionage hidden from
common knowledge are illustrated by the
author, together with reference to the
cases that have gone to law. At the time
Heims outlines his crusade for the
implementation of legislation to control
the vast increase in "theft" of company
secrets. He also advocatesthe licensingof
the private investigators who offer their
services in this context.
The author defines the risks to
organizations, the growth of the problem
and the various methods adopted in the
obtaining of information about the
processes of rival concerns. The steps to
be implemented to counter such moves
are catalogued in a concise and readily
understood fashion.
The writer has used this book as a
platform to sound the bell of warning
about the inability of the present law to
deal with modern methods used to gain
access to company secrets which are
often stored by processes clearly not
catered for not much more than a decade
ago. The fact that, in the British Isles, the
role of the private investigator can be
assumed by anyone has obviously led to
the growth of ruthless and illegal
methods being used in this field. Also, the
"theft" of company "secrets and
knowledge" is far less well controlled by
our law than it isin many othercountries.
The reasons for this are discussed with
analogies drawn with the legislation in
other countries. Heims outlines the
problems this causes, together with a
realistic assessment of the likely
reaction of aggrieved companies, taking
into account their natural reluctance to
air through the courts arguments over
secrets, wider exposure of which can only
January 1983
increase the damage sustained.
Achapter on computers describes the
ease by which the information they store
is obtainable to non-approved personnel
unless
stringent
safeguards
are
implemented. Sound procedures are
suggested to minimise this prospect.
Again, the vexed question of the legal
difficulty in proceeding against the
industrial spy who obtains the contents
of such records whilst leaving them intact
or slightly altered is debated.
Overall, this is a publication directed
at the company executive with the
resounding message that "prevention is
better than cure," taking into account the
costly, difficult and often unsatisfactory
recourse to the courts.
Therefore this book is of limited use to
the investigating police officer. However,
solid constructive works
ofthis
type may
result in the incorporation of the type of
changes in the civil law envisaged in the
Law Commission report on Breach of
Confidence published in October, 1981.
The suggestion is also made that the
definition of "property" under the Theft
Act should be enlarged to be compatible
with the laws in other advanced
industrial nations. An example is
quoted of the State of Maryland, U.S.A.,
where property includes "records,
recordings, documents . . . whole or
partial
copies,
descriptions,
photographs, prototypes or models
thereof, or any other articles, materials,
devices, substances, and whole or
partialcopies, descriptions, photographs,
prototypes or models thereof which
represent, reflect, or record scientific,
technical, merchandising production or
management
information,
design
process, procedure, formula, invention,
trade secret or improvement, financial
instruments, information, electronically
produced data, computer software and
programmes in either machine or human
readable form and other tangible and
intangible items of value." Now that is
food for thought! G. D. Payne
/01
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