
Former CIA Chief of Disguise Explains How Spies Use Disguises [video] - miiiiiike
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JASUsVY5YJ8
======
docker_up
With Facebook and facial recognition, spies can be identified _before they
even know they want to become a spy_. There is literally a lifetime of facial
recognition data on social networks for youths and college grads as they post
their pics online, and if they get recruited to become a spy in their 20s,
there will already be enough information to identify people globally, as they
walk through airports, shopping centers, etc and have their pictures videoed
constantly.

Facebook, et. al is a treasure trove of data for purposes like these.

~~~
cm2187
I would assume that in front of the headquarter of any major intelligence
agency, there is a dozen minivans, one for each foreign agency, taking
continuously recording+facial recognition of employees coming in an out.
Useful to spot foreign agents when they come through your airports security.

~~~
qaq
One would imagine SAD/SOG types are not exactly walking in through front door
there are prob protocols in place for this type of things.

~~~
qaq
Unless we are talking about something like Russian GRU than they will
basically list GRU building as their registered address in various open and
semi open databases.

~~~
madeuptempacct
What are you talking about? Active GRU agents don't get designated as GRU and
get embedded in other units.

Even on the direct action level, they aren't listed as GRU anywhere, wear the
uniform of some regular unit in the area, and have paperwork saying they are a
regular soldier.

~~~
lostconfused
Referring to [https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2018/10/04/305-car-
registrat...](https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2018/10/04/305-car-
registrations-may-point-massive-gru-security-breach/)

Which is kind of a feel good story, point and laugh at those Russian idiots
bungling things again.

~~~
madeuptempacct
Cool, thanks for the link.

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Kaveren
I wonder how good the disguise "technology" is that they won't disclose in a
public YouTube video.

I don't know why you'd want to disguise yourself as the opposite gender unless
you could pull off the voice, your cover would be blown almost immediately.

I still don't place any stock in intelligence operatives working in embassies,
I can only imagine it works because intelligence agencies aren't sophisticated
enough yet. You have a (relatively) small group of staff, and you _know_ a
portion of them are spies. Many "official covers" are extremely weak.

~~~
bfuller
Silicone prosthetics are nearly perfect disguises.

And if you pull off a female illusion well, youd be surprised that most people
wouldnt think twice about your voice.

~~~
leephillips
The speaker in the video claims that they can turn a woman into a man but that
it's nearly impossible to turn a man into a woman. In other words, according
to her, there is no way to "pull off a female illusion well".

~~~
bfuller
_Nearly_ impossible, sure. But not impossible. There are professional female
illusionists you can look up to see the amount of preparation and effort it
takes to pull off.

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carlmr
I'm wondering now when all these classic behaviors become imprinted. I'm born
in America, grew up in Germany for the most part. Apparently I eat and stand
like an American.

~~~
fossuser
Another interesting one people don't notice is counting money.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g87HVlu55mQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g87HVlu55mQ)

I saw this video and didn't think much of it until I saw my friend counting
money the Asian way. He didn't know that wasn't how Americans typically did it
- I guess you pick up a lot of little things like this by watching your
parents.

~~~
miluge
I felt the same when moving to Romania, they have a different way of counting
money compared to France. I barely paid attention to it until one of the
ladies from shop told me.

Cultural difference is found in a lot of small things you do in your daily
life, it's just like that scene from Inglourious Bastards when he is showing
the German 3 and the British 3.

~~~
CosmicShadow
Yeah, there are lots of little things out there. My wife and I were just
discussing how as Canadians, we don't perceive ourselves to have any accent
and sound just like "normal" people on American TV, however after she speaks
with US based co-workers or folks she meets when she travels, they instantly
know after only a simple Hello or maybe 3 words that she is Canadian (and they
point it out!). There are just certain words that we pronounce just a tiny bit
different that we don't notice because we can say it the Canadian or American
way interchangeably, but to Americans who aren't inundated with Canadian TV
like we are with American media, we believe they can instantly detect any
deviation from their culture's norms. It's kind of maddening because we can't
detect the other way around nearly as easy.

She said she'd been caught on words such as Hello, Syrup and Being, to name a
few. Perhaps it was just that she said Hello in a happier tone or with
different emphasis? I'm not sure, that one seemed ridiculous.

Imagine trying to change all those words you don't even realize you are saying
different unless you repeat it with the person multiple times.

~~~
carlmr
>She said she'd been caught on words such as Hello, Syrup and Being, to name a
few. Perhaps it was just that she said Hello in a happier tone or with
different emphasis? I'm not sure, that one seemed ridiculous.

I lived in Canada for a bit, and I would have guessed sooorry, tomooorow,
oout, aboout. At least that's what Ontarians sound like to me. They really
stretch those o sounds.

~~~
CosmicShadow
I've lived in Ontario my whole life, North Western and South Western and I've
never heard anyone sound like that. It seems like that's such a stereotypical
Canadian accent, but I've never heard it and assumed it only existed in the
maritimes, although on my recent trip to Halifax I did not hear it. Maybe it's
a bit longer and I don't notice, but at least not like the overly portrayed
version on TV.

~~~
carlmr
It's very distinct from what you hear on TV. TV doesn't even do the right
sound, nevermind the length, but it's definitely noticeable for an American.

It has some similarity to some oh the northern mid-west accents.

~~~
CosmicShadow
It's just so interesting to hear that I have an immediately identifiable
accent when I don't even think I have one, so weird. It feels like you have a
competitive advantage that I cannot easily copy or get back at you with :)

Perhaps this is also how folks with "real" accents think too (that they can't
hear it), but I gotta feel like they can recognize that they sound different
from the "people on TV". My wife did however tell me that in a phone
conversation with a US colleague that she immediately heard herself sound
obviously Canadian after saying something, but I think it was more phrase
based, a question followed by "eh?". "Ok, I definitely heard it that time" she
immediately said.

~~~
carlmr
I think Australians and so on they know. The Canadian accent, compared to
standard American, is much more subtle, but even after living in Canada for 2
years I got so used to it that I wasn't thinking about it in daily
conversation. However when I left and came back a year later on vacation it
was back to being obvious.

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golergka
Watching this video makes Bellingcat Skripal poisoining investigations even
more hillarious.

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jonathantm
_Aaaargo!_

~~~
dang
Could you please stop posting unsubstantive comments to Hacker News?

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modzu
why does hn censor humor? that censorship is creating a feedback loop where
creative individuals are left out of the discussions, which seem to be
becoming more and more pedantic.

his post, while perfunctory, is still a reference to something culturally
significant

imo flagging would be better reserved for more severe infractions and let the
community decide (via vote) what is "substantive"

~~~
lobotryas
This isn't censorship (dang just made a request). Creative people and everyone
is welcome; you just have to follow the rules. If you're really after puns and
low effort posts then check out reddit, but even there some communities (like
legaladvice or science) will "censor" a user for such posts.

~~~
clubm8
Which specific HN rule bans humor?

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bantersaurus
That guy at the end who changes into a vest is lols

