Like many of you, we get upset when we read about things like this:

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20100415_Lawyer__Laptops_took_thousands_of_photos.html

and

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/20/us/20brfs-SCHOOLDISTRI_BRF.html

Unfortunately, the actions of a few bad folks can kill the best intentions of others who try to do the right things. This is true in many areas, including mobile device security.

The bottom line is that, if these allegations are true, someone was given access to systems they shouldn’t have. The implementation of the tracking technology is the culprit, not the technology itself.

We should point out that GadgetTrak was not the solution installed on these laptops. Our software can work in similar ways, but we specifically advise a more conservative approach to tracking. For example, we do not support the taking and sending of screenshots, as we feel that this is a violation of privacy and might even be illegal under current wiretap laws.

Unfortunately, when something like this Pennsylvania case happens, all of us who are in this market are held accountable.

We’ve actually turned down requests for organizations who wished to use GadgetTrak technology in this way. We are a rare bird in our industry are we are quite transparent about how our technology works and one of the few that actually lets people test the software out to see how it works and the data it collects. You would be shocked to learn what some other companies have access to on your systems, some use keyloggers, take screenshots etc. We believe that through transparency and allowing people to understand the technology they are in a better position to decide how and where their data goes.

Hopefully, this debate will continue and shed some positive light on a serious problem. We’d love to hear comments on this. Please email us if you would like to voice your opinion or have a question.

GadgetTrak was featured in Sunday’s Orlando Sentinel on a story regarding the rising theft rates of mobile devices in Florida’s schools.

A new industry has evolved from the trend. GadgetTrak Inc., an Oregon-based company that sells anti-theft software specifically for these high-tech devices, opened two years ago and already has thousands of customers in Florida.

The software, once installed, can help owners determine the location of their gadgets within as little as 10 meters and, in some cases, photograph the thief who’s using them.

“We have parents calling and saying, ‘I have this kid, and he’s had two devices stolen, and we need to do something,’” said GadgetTrak founder Ken Westin.

Exclusive New High-Tech Service Introduces More Value to End-Users, Addresses Untapped Customer Demand

Portland, OR, June 16, 2009--FLIR Systems, Inc (NASDAQ: FLIR), today announced the introduction of ThermaTrak™, an exclusive new high-tech service to locate missing or stolen infrared cameras and thermal imagers. ThermaTrak from FLIR, developed with GadgetTrak Inc., employs recovery software that pinpoints the geographic location of the lost, stolen or missing infrared camera. Additionally, the ThermaTrak software embedded in the camera tracks the IP address, hostname, and even the Internet service provider (ISP) being used after the IR camera has gone missing or been stolen and is connected to the Internet.

”This is the first-ever theft tracking system for IR cameras. We are very excited to announce our exclusive agreement with GadgetTrak to offer this new recovery technology customized to FLIR IR cameras,” said Tom Scanlon, vice president for FLIR. “The affordability and protection is exactly what our end-users want.”

ThermaTrak is also used for asset management when multiple cameras are deployed in the field. With tracking activated, each time a camera is connected to a computer with internet access, an email is sent with a link to an updated location report.

“ThermaTrak has several unique abilities that you will not find elsewhere”, said Ken Westin, Founder & CEO of GadgetTrak, commenting on the partnership with FLIR. “ThermaTrak software leverages our patented theft recovery system for use with IR cameras and discretely contacts the owner in the event it is lost or stolen. Data is delivered to ThermaTrak and a report is generated with the time, username, computer name, internal network address, location, and other data that relates to the device’s connection. All images, location and network data are sent to the device owner”

In the case of theft, law enforcement agencies are able to find out the suspect’s name, address and phone number through ISP information.
ThermaTrak requires an upgrade to the IR camera and is available with a standalone subscription or through FLIR’s extended warranty. FLIR IR cameras run from under $3,000 to $400,000 per unit, so the security and peace of mind now offered by ThermaTrak is a big plus.

FLIR Systems, Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets thermal imagers and infrared camera systems worldwide for a variety of applications. FLIR’s thermal imagers are used in diverse applications such as public safety, defense, navigation, electronic news gathering and search, and rescue, as well as for electrical inspection, commercial and residential building inspection, indoor air quality and home energy monitoring applications, non-destructive testing, medical science, research and development, and manufacturing process control. For more information on thermal imagers for your needs, please call +1-800-464-6372 or visit www.goinfrared.com

GadgetTrak Inc. based in Portland, Oregon provides innovative and patented theft recovery and loss prevention solutions for mobile devices. GadgetTrak continually collaborates and partners with technology leaders and law enforcement to improve our methods of recovery, data protection and endpoint security. For more information visit www.gadgettrak.com

Forward-Looking Statements
The statements in this release, including the statements of Earl R. Lewis, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about the Company’s business based, in part, on assumptions made by management. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in such forward-looking statements due to numerous factors, including the following: the ability to manufacture and deliver the systems referenced in this release, changes in demand for the Company’s products, product mix, the timing of customer orders and deliveries under the order discussed above, the impact of competitive products and pricing, constraints on supplies of critical components, excess or shortage of production capacity, the ability of the Company to manufacture and ship products in the time period required, actual purchases under agreements, the continuing eligibility of the Company to act as a federal contractor, the amount and availability of appropriated government procurement funds and other risks discussed from time to time in the Company’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings and reports. In addition, such statements could be affected by general industry and market conditions and growth rates, and general domestic and international economic conditions. Such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release, or for changes made to this document by wire services or Internet service providers.

Last night GadgetTrak won the 2009 WebVisionary Award for best application. Now in its second year, the Webvisionary Awards recognizes outstanding work in categories that range from web apps to community sites. The entries are judged by leading visionaries in design, technology, advertising and business strategy.

We had a great time at the awards show and met quite a few really talented folks and were humbled to even be included in the pool, let alone win the award.  GadgetTrak has had a great run the last few weeks, first by winning the Oregon Technology Awards “Cool Product of the Year” and now the WebVisionary Awards, it is amazing to receive these honors from our peers.

GadgetTrak is not done innovating yet, we are already hard at work on the next generation of our applications with some revolutionary new features.

GadgetTrak’s MacTrak is featured in the June 2009 issue of MacWorld in their special on mobility. The issue focuses on solutions for travelers and the mobile work force and MacTrak is featured in their article titled “Outwit Thieves” ( PDF 110K)

Starting at $24.95 a year, GadgetTrak’s MacTrak service ( www.gadgettrak.com ) employs a variety of means - including Wi-Fi positioning, Max OS X’s built-in security features, and even your ‘Book’s iSight camera, to locate your MacBook after theft and help you get the inof you need to get it back, while keeping your data out of the wrong hands.

TechAmerica Oregon Announces 2009 Oregon Technology Awards Winners

More than 400 guests attended this year’s awards program to acknowledge the technical, business and community achievements of all the finalists

Lake Oswego, OR - TechAmerica Oregon (formerly the Oregon Council of AeA) announced at a ceremony last evening the winners of this year’s Oregon Technology Awards. The winners represent the top companies in five categories that include: System/Hardware, Software, Technology-Service, Emerging Company, and Cool Product. This year, more than 60 nominations were received, with the top three in each category being selected as finalists. The winners were selected based on the biggest positive impact they were able to make in their industry and within the region.

This year’s winners are:

Cool Product of the Year

GadgetTrak Inc. — GadgetTrak®

System/Hardware Company of the Year

TriQuint Semiconductor

Software Company of the Year

Tripwire Inc.

Technology-Service Company of the Year

ACME Business Consulting LLC

Emerging Company of the Year

Jive Software

Ralph Quinsey, president and CEO of TriQuint Semiconductor, was also honored as Technology Executive of the Year. He was selected based on his leadership in his company, the greater Oregon community and the technology industry. Quinsey was chosen by a collection of the program’s previous Technology Executive of the Year and Lifetime Achievement Award recipients who make up the Selection Committee. Nominations were evaluated from the committee and from the technology community at large.

This year three products were previously selected as finalists for this year’s Cool Product of the Year. These products were voted on live by event attendees using state-of-the-art polling technology. Through the use of a mobile phone, each person in attendance was able to vote live and see the results tabulated in real time. The winner of this award is:

Cool Product of the Year

GadgetTrak Inc. — GadgetTrak®

“We wish to thank all the finalists for making this year’s competition very competitive,” said Jennifer Bosze, executive director, TechAmerica Oregon. “Oregon’s technology community is robust and offers some of the world’s most innovative products. It is an honor to come together for a fun evening to acknowledge these technical, business and community achievements.”

The Oregon Technology Awards are underwritten and produced by financial and in-kind sponsors. The presenting sponsor is UnitedHealthcare. Other sponsors include Pop Art, McClenahan Bruer Communications, Webtrends, Oracle, Woodruff Sawyer, Perkins Coie LLP, Stoel Rives LLP, Momentum Management Resources, First Tech Credit Union, KPMG and USI Northwest.

To learn more about this year’s Oregon Technology Awards event, please visit http://www.oregontechawards.com.

About TechAmerica

TechAmerica is the leading voice for the U.S. technology industry, which is the driving force behind productivity growth and jobs creation in the United States and the foundation of the global innovation economy. Representing approximately 1,500 member companies of all sizes from the public and commercial sectors of the economy, it is the industry’s largest advocacy organization and is dedicated to helping members’ top and bottom lines. It is also the technology industry’s only grassroots-to-global advocacy network, with offices in state capitals around the United States, Washington, D.C., Europe (Brussels) and Asia (Beijing).  TechAmerica was formed by the merger of AeA (formerly the American Electronics Association), the Cyber Security Industry Alliance (CSIA), the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) and the Government Electronics & Information Technology Association (GEIA). Learn more at www.techamerica.org.

In a bold, systematic hit on a landmark Ventura Boulevard office building, burglars stole scores of computers from at least 60 businesses there, taking machines containing sensitive legal documents, credit card numbers and the tax information of thousands of people.

The theft at the Chateau Office Building in Woodland Hills left accountants, a talent agent, property management companies, attorneys and other businesses in the three-story structure scrambling to assess their losses as police scoured the premises.

Deputy Chief Michel Moore of the Los Angeles Police Department said that computers, some files and other items were taken from the 60 businesses.

The theft appears to be targeting data, as it was only computers that were stolen and the thieves left behind other valuable equipment, including monitors, faxes, copiers and printers. Several business owners and law enforcement concluded that the thieves’ target must have been the information contained on their hard drives, not property.

One business owner said the credit card numbers of 7,000 clients were stolen. Accountant Richard Levy said his stolen computer held the tax documents of 800 clients. Attorney Marshall Bitkower said only three computers were taken from his office, but “they had all kinds of stuff. Everything: people’s names, credit cards, clients, e-mails back and forth — who knows what.”

Source: L.A. Times

Yahoo Tech wrote a great guide titled  “How you can recover your laptop if it’s ever stolen” featuring GadgetTrak.

The company also offers MacTrak for Mac laptop owners, which is a little different than the one I mentioned earlier for Windows PCs. MacTrak makes use of whatever Wi-Fi networks are within the laptop’s range in order to locate it within 10-20 metres. The website even gives you the chance to type in an address to see if it’s covered by the software. Generally speaking, it covers major urban centres in North America, Europe and Asia.

But a really cool thing it does is utilize the Mac’s built-in iSight Webcam to snap images of whomever is using your stolen computer. The images are automatically uploaded to your Flickr account every 30 minutes, along with the location and data. If you don’t have a Flickr account, then fear not because it also sends the images and info to your email address as well.

Read the full article

Forbes recently featured GadgetTrak in an article titled “Most Stolen Electronics” which discussed the epidemic of electronics theft and the risks it poses to not only consumers but also businesses. Steve Bertoni did an excellent job pulling together statistics from the FBI and other trusted sources, this is probably the most in depth study I have seen to date. My favorite quote is “With GadgetTrak’s sneaky defenses, it almost makes you wish your BlackBerry or MacBook gets snatched.”

MSN Canada did a write up featuring GadgetTrak and LoJack for Laptops  titled “Should you opt for a laptop recovery solution?”.  We agree with the article’s position regarding the value of the data, which is a key reason we  made GadgetTrak Search & Destroy available. Small businesses are particularly susceptible to the threats posed by stolen laptops and the risks associated with data breaches.  Insurance may help with the value of a device, but no insurance can help recoup the costs of the data on the device, particularly if it is customer or employee data.

Just ask Starbucks, who recently had to announce that 97,000 employee records were on a stolen laptop. What is the loss of trust worth to a company? If a company loses critical data such as Social Security numbers of their customers or employees there are considerable costs to the organization.  The cost of credit monitoring services  and legal fees are just the start, as in some of the cases a data breach can have criminal charges associated with it, if the company is proven negligent.  Then there is the lost of consumer trust and in the case of Starbucks, lowered employee morale in an already gloomy holiday season thanks to the current economic woes.

MacTrak will soon be available in retail stores across the United States, we started shipping shrink wrapped product this week just in time for Christmas.

A customer in Anchorage,  Alaska had his phone stolen, luckily he had installed GadgetTrak Mobile Security on the device.  Today he has his stolen phone back and the mobile thief is behind bars. Here is is his story:

I own an AT&T Tilt. Recently it was stolen, 3 days later the thief was in jail and I had my phone back. I was working out at the Alaska Club and some one broke into my locker and stole everything I had in there, my wallet, car keys, cell phone, and a birthday present that I had bought for my 2 year old son.

Prior to all of this I had purchased GadgetTrak,  and had it installed to my AT&T Tilt cell phone. I had set up the software and everything so that it would alert my wife as well as my more “private” email account when ever it was turned on.

I gave the information to the Anchorage Police Department that I was getting from the phone (via SMS) to my email account, as well as the GPS positioning of the phone, and the APD was able to locate and collect my phone from the thief as well as arrest him. We are now awaiting our court date to finalize the charges. Sadly the APD was not able to recover the birthday present that I had bought for my son, but at least they were able to put another THIEF behind bars where they belong.

According to the thief he had no idea that the phone was being tracked. The APD has linked him to several other thefts from other Alaska Club locations.

The ONLY reason I am endorsing this product is that it worked, I got my phone back, and the person that stole it was arrested.

- Phil (Anchorage, Alaska)

The Apple Blog did a review of four security products for your Mac and MacTrak held up quite well, you could even say it took the prize in comparison.

MacTrak for OS X is heralded as “the most advanced theft recovery solution available for Apple systems”.

The software is activated by logging into your MacTrak.me account and clicking a button to activate tracking. The next time your Mac connects to the Internet the software will activate and start sending you emails with the specific location and network environment of the system, as well as use the camera to take a photo of who is using the system every 30 minutes.

Some of the extra features offered by MacTrak are:

• Wi-Fi Positioning: The ability to accurately pinpoint the location of your Mac through analyzing Wi-Fi networks
• Flickr Integration: Social media at its best. Photos taken every 30 minutes are uploaded to Flickr with location details
• Network Information: It also collects network information to provide to authorities

It is priced at $60 — a one off payment which doesn’t need renewing every year. It’s transferrable between computers.

It has been a busy few weeks with the launch of MacTrak, the response has been phenomenal, once people try the software they have been pretty amazed at the accuracy of the location as well as the automatic and fast Flickr upload. Several top Mac publications have been reviewing the product as well, all have been very favorable:

GadgetTrak® Mobile Security received a great review this past week in Veja Magazine in Brazil. Veja has a distribution of over 1 million subscribers. For those whose Portuguese is a little rusty, here is a translation for your convenience:

Software evaluated: GadgetTrak [Mobile Security] (www.gadgettrak.com)

Where can be installed: Mobile Phones

Objective: To erase the data stored and help locate the unit

How it works: The software provides different codes that, when sent through cellular text messages can delete data, lock the device and trigger an alarm. If the thief inserts a new SIM card, the program also records the new number and refers to an e-mail chosen. If your phone has GPS, the software that tells your location

Comments from experts: Of the products we looked at for mobile phones GadgetTrak  us the most complete solution. It also has the advantage of  not requiring a central monitoring center and allows you full access. It is a guarantee that no one else will have access to data stored on your device.

CIO Magazine republished a story featuring GadgetTrak as a “Useful Tool For Road Warriors”