London, UK, October 16 – For the first time in decades the US President broke with tradition and declined to stay at the now Chinese owned Waldorf Astoria hotel whilst attending the United Nations General Assembly in September 2015.

Terms of the sale of the Waldorf-Astoria to China’s Beijing-based Anbang Insurance Group for $1.95 billion in 2014 included a “major renovation”, which prompted security concerns in Washington where fears of Chinese eavesdropping and cyber espionage run high.

The White House and the State Department, while vague about the reasons for the change, cited several factors, including security concerns.
Travel advice from the US State Departments warns both US citizens and Diplomats in China about physical and electronic surveillance:
“Hotel rooms (including meeting rooms), offices, cars, taxis, telephones, Internet usage and fax machines may be monitored onsite or remotely, and personal possessions in hotel rooms, including computers, may be searched without your consent or knowledge,” the department’s travel advice for China says. Business travellers should be particularly mindful that trade secrets, negotiating positions and other business-sensitive information may be taken and shared with local interests.”

Gerry Hall, Managing Director of UK Based IPS said, “This reflects the trends that we are seeing with the increasing use of covert surveillance kit which is easily and cheaply available online for anyone to afford, without even having to leave their homes.”

He continued “Advancements in technology means that sophisticated recording equipment both visual and audio can be disguised in practically any object you can imagine. Cameras and microphones have been built into clothes hooks, smoke detectors, and air freshener containers, electrical wall sockets, bathroom mirrors, even an innocent looking TV remote control can be modified to have a duel use. The list really is endless!”

IPS supply security solutions, debugging sweep team services, countermeasures and consultancy services, and are the leading international distributor for Research Electronics International (REI) and the only company in the UK authorized to offer certified training on REI technical surveillance counter measures equipment, including the OSCOR GREEN, ORION & TALAN.

About IPS
For over 25 years, UK based International Procurement Service (IPS) has been supplying the Intelligence Services, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Special Forces and Ministry of Defences of many countries with Counter Surveillance Equipment, countermeasures training, and procedural training to Governments, Law Enforcement Agencies and Sweep teams worldwide. IPS are international distributors for REI, with exclusivity for the United Kingdom.