Surveillance should be used

 to exonerate the accused.
If lies could put you in jail,

 you must survail.

In the current political climate, almost any accusation a woman makes against a man is given great weight, and she is believed. Any false allegation can result in a swift arrest, followed by a devastating restraining order. Many accused men incorrectly assume that they enjoy the presumption of innocence unless convicted. But the truth is that no such presumption exists from the time of arrest. The legal concept of "innocent until proven guilty" only exists at a jury trial!

The trouble is that men who bear a false allegation doubt that they can survive until (or prevail at) a jury trial, faced off against the unlimited resources of police and prosecutors (not to mention a restraining order, which tends to stifle an effective defense). Their attorneys push them to accept plea bargains for a lesser sentence, partly because a trial is expensive to the attorney, and possibly because a victory at trial is unlikely. Accused men then succumb to the "plea bargain pressure." Upon sentencing, they go on with their lives wounded, and permanently tarnished by a criminal conviction.

Shoddy Investigations

Determining the truth of an accusation is "nominally" the job of police investigators. But these investigators often rely chiefly (or solely) on the word of the accuser as evidence. Police arrest men as a matter of routine, even when eyewitnesses (such as kids) refute the allegations!

A Solution

What can be done to defend men who are falsely accused by women? They are obviously at a great legal disadvantage. If even eyewitnesses cannot refute a false allegation when it is made, then accused men must rely on evidence that exceeds the reliability of eyewitnesses. The most reliable and unbiased evidence is surveillance.

No credible jury can dismiss the utter neutrality and effectiveness of clear video footage. Even an audio recording could provide enough evidence to warrant a "not guilty" jury verdict, if not an outright dismissal of charges. But to be truly effective, surveillance must be subdued and non-threatening to a woman who would falsely accuse a man. Preferably, the surveillance should be unknown to her. Those who deploy surveillance should be aware of privacy laws designed to prevent unlawful spying. But men should not be afraid to utilize surveillance if they suspect impending abuse and/or false charges against them, regardless of these privacy laws. Surveillance should be used to exonerate the accused, without regard to a false accuser's privacy.


Below is a categorized list of surveillance products -- some portable -- that can easily refute many false allegations if used properly. Some of it is expensive!   But think of the thousands of dollars you could waste on lawyers while fighting false allegations, armed only with your word. Investing a few hundred dollars now could really pay off. Also, your freedom is worth it!

When you need to secretly record video footage wherever you go, mobile video surveillance is the solution. This means you carry miniature video equipment around with you, on your clothing, instead of installing permanent surveillance in a fixed location. This could be useful to help document abusive behavior against you, or a loved one. It can also flatly debunk baseless allegations against you by someone who is trying to manipulate the police and the courts.

The essentials

To record video while walking around, you need three things:

  1. A hidden video camera
  2. A miniature recorder
  3. A means of storage for the captured video

Below are some links to buy the above equipment (note: to comparison shop, go to any search engine and enter the phrase "button cam" in quotes).

Button cams - Button cams are hidden video cameras built in to buttons that you sew onto your clothing. Some button cams record both video and audio. The camera is powered by a 9-volt battery. It can either transmit a wireless signal to any recorder within range, or connect with a wire directly to a miniature recorder in your pocket. Buying a button cam usually includes several other identical-looking buttons (besides the one with the camera attached), to ensure a consistent and uniform look.

Miniature recorders - These are tiny electronic video recorders, small enough to fit in your pocket. They store video either to a tiny hard drive (more expensive), or to a tiny storage chip called an "SD card" (very affordable, and thus recommended). The video is stored as digital files that can be offloaded from the mini-recorder and onto a computer for permanent storage.

Storage chips - If your portable video recorder does not contain an internal hard drive, you must store your recorded video to a small chip called an SD Card. This is actually preferable to storing video on a hard drive, because a storage chip is much less expensive, and it is removable (and thus convenient). The recommended capacity for an SD card is at least 2gb, which should allow you to store several hours of video recording. Prices for a 2gb SD card can range from $30 and up.


Using a combination of button cam, mini-recorder, and storage chip, you can record hidden video anywhere you go. An eyewitness to the scene of an alleged crime is no longer absolutely necessary to exonerate you of false charges. Now, your own mobile video surveillance can prove your innocence conclusively.


These all record audio in digital format on various electronic devices. The advantage of audio recording is that it does not depend on an unblocked "line of sight," as video does. An audio recorder can be out of sight, and can still record sound perfectly. Whether hidden, obscured, or in plain sight, audio recorders can be highly effective in exposing a false accuser.


Transmitters do not record audio or video; they just broadcast it over a radio signal to any "tuned-in" receiver within range. The receiver can then be hooked up to a recorder to preserve the footage.

Please be aware of your legal risks, especially when using audio transmitters. We assert that a legitimate use is crime prevention (such as exposing false allegations, which are crimes), and the prevention of injustice. When in doubt, consult an attorney.


These allow you to record telephone conversations, even from a remote location. They are especially useful if you expect to receive violent or abusive threats via phone or voicemail. Such threatening recordings could wipe out the baseless idea of a woman as an innocent, peace-loving victim. These products are called "calling cards," but you really don't need any physical card. By signing up, you get a phone number that you can use to make or receive electronically recorded calls.

These cards offer some astounding features. When using your card to call others, some cards let you alter the caller ID number that shows up on the other end. You choose whatever number you would like them to see, even non-phone numbers. One card even offers the ability to alter your voice as heard on the other end of the line. Retrieve recorded calls either by calling your access number, or by logging in to the card's Web site.

Below is a table listing a few calling cards and their known features.

Comparison Inexpensive? Can record
incoming calls?
 Can record
outgoing calls?
 Can choose any
outgoing caller ID?
 Can alter
your voice?
Kall8 Yes Yes No No No
Call Recorder Card No Yes Yes No No
Spoof Card Yes No Yes Yes Yes
GrandCentral Yes Yes No No No

The calling cards that record incoming calls are especially unique. This is because you can have your existing phone number secretly forwarded to the calling card, and then re-routed back to any secondary phone line of your choosing. Then just answer the call as usual (on the secondary line), and everything will be recorded for you.

Of course, you don't have to use a calling card to expose threatening calls made against you. Here are some alternatives to calling cards:

The point here is that a woman who would falsely accuse you is herself abusive, and any threatening phone calls she makes should be exposed to prevent her from falsely claiming that she is a victim.


Stalking has become a serious problem, and has both male and female victims. Some men, who have been served with a restraining order to stay away from a woman, are unfairly framed for violating that order (read more). The female "victim" follows (stalks) him as he goes about his business, he being no threat to her. She then secretly spots him somewhere, like a supermarket or a cafe, and calls police on her cell phone telling them that he has stalked her to that location. He is then jailed for violating his no-contact order.

How can men who are peacefully and lawfully obeying their restraining orders fight such insanity? There is a solution. If your stalker is carrying a cell phone that is enabled with Bluetooth technology, you can set your own cell phone to detect when they have come nearby. Your cell phone can then alert you, in time for you to quickly leave the area before you can be framed.

The application is called Bluetracker. It costs $5.50 on Handango.com, and is also available for free on a trial basis.

In order to install this application, you must have a certain type of cell phone called a "Series 60" phone. This means it has the Symbian operating system installed. Here's a list of a few Series 60 phones. Note that the stalker you're avoiding need not have this type of phone; she only needs a Bluetooth-compatible cell phone with the Bluetooth feature turned on. Many newer cell phone models have Bluetooth technology. In order for Bluetracker to work, it must first "memorize" whatever Bluetooth device you're trying to detect. However, the phone being memorized (the stalker's phone) is not notified in any way that it has been "memorized" by Bluetracker.

Since a cell phone's Bluetooth feature must be turned on for Bluetracker to sense that the owner is nearby, you may be interested in ways to increase the likelihood that your stalker will activate Bluetooth. Please also be aware that Bluetracker is not useful if you're trying to remotely track the movements of someone else. Bluetracker is only useful to inform you when someone has come near you (within 10-100 meters), and is therefore purely for your defense.

One thing to also consider:   Some courts permit mutual restraining orders, where both parties are required to keep away from each other. If Bluetracker alerts you to the presence of your stalker (and if she is legally restrained from approaching you), then you may have enough lead-time to report her violation!


Recording video involves a lot more planning and expense than recording audio. Video requires an unblocked line-of-sight from the camera to the target. If you can do this without making anyone feel uneasy or violated, you have achieved a difficult task. It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words; if true, then full motion video is worth a lot more.

As we have noted above, please be aware of privacy laws. Recording video has been allowed by American courts wherever recorded subjects have no "reasonable expectation of privacy." This means you must NOT record dressing areas or bathrooms unless you want to dramatically increase your legal risks.

There are two considerations involved in capturing video:

Video Cameras and Video Transmission

The presence of video cameras can be obvious, subtle, or completely hidden. Some cameras use wires to send the video to the recorder. Other cameras transmit footage wirelessly. Using wires produces the best signal and quality, but wireless transmission lets you place a hidden camera almost anywhere. If you use a wired camera, you have to stretch a wire from the camera itself to the recorder (making the supposedly "hidden" camera obvious). For this reason, we recommend you go with a wireless solution. Many surveillance cameras have wireless capability built-in. But beware; built-in wireless transmitters often burn out. Instead, we recommend buying wired equipment that hooks up to a stand-alone wireless transmitter. A stand-alone wireless transmitter specializes in only transmitting video, and is far more reliable than a built-in transmitter inside a video camera. This stand-alone transmitter consists of two pieces:

  1. A transmitting device which hooks up to your camera
  2. A receiving device which hooks up to your recorder

Digital Video Recorders (DVRs)

We've all seen video being recorded to a VCR at local markets and liquor stores. But there is a better, cheaper, and more effective alternative that is slowly replacing the VCR: the Digital Video Recorder (DVR). A DVR is just like a VCR, except you record the video to an internal computer hard drive instead of videotape. DVRs made for surveillance also let you access recorded video from a remote location via the Internet. A DVR's online access could be especially useful if you need to retrieve the video, but cannot do so in person due to a restraining order. DVRs have better picture quality, can store far more video than VCRs, have no moving parts, are quieter, and never have to rewind any tape. Just pick the date and time of the stored video, and a DVR will display it instantly for you. For this reason, we highly recommend using a DVR as your recording device, instead of a VCR.

There are two types of DVRs:

Make sure your DVR supports at least 4 channels, meaning the ability to simultaneously record video from up to 4 different sources (by "sources" we mean video cameras and/or microphones). Ideally you want a DVR with a separate channel devoted just to audio.

Buy Equipment Online

Here are some Web sites that offer video cameras and Digital Video Recorders (DVRs):

For a really great deal on a DVR, check out eBay. Just be aware that some of the less expensive equipment is shipped from overseas, and your true costs will involve shipping.

Professional Installation?

If installing video seems too complicated for you to do by yourself, you can still contact any private security firm or private investigator in the yellow pages. These companies are well versed in security camera systems, and can install a reliable system (even a hidden camera system) in almost any setting. The disadvantage of going with a security firm is that you will have to pay a lot more than you would if you did it yourself.

Last Resort

If you don't have much money or time to set up a full video system, you may be able to use your existing video camera. Many video cameras sold today (especially mini-DV video cameras) come with a wireless remote control. If you're feeling like a volatile woman is about to explode into another abusive episode, have your video camera pre-positioned in advance and just activate it to start recording by using its remote control. This is a great solution that does not involve additional expense, and is available on short notice.

Do not get carried away with any surveillance you do. This Web site advocates its use only to refute false allegations. If you are recording perfectly legal, non-abusive activity, be aware that you may be in for significant legal and financial headaches. Legally, even recording abusive activity could cause you headaches. All you want to do is prevent yourself from being falsely accused, so please remember this purpose when you invest in any surveillance technology. Surveillance should be used to exonerate the accused!