by Sharon Rondeau
(Mar. 19, 2025) — On Tuesday a California resident reporting electronic surveillance and interference of unknown origin detailed here, here, here and here informed us he supplied our third article to Microsoft Copilot AI to observe its response.
To date, neither the Santa Clara County REACT Task Force, which specifically deals with “the escalating problem of high technology crime and the threat it poses to the health and welfare of our public and private communites” [sic], nor the Gilroy, CA Police Department have indicated to the victim they are investigating his reports of suspected cyber-crimes documented over more than five years.
The Post & Email was initially able to verify the victim’s reports of dozens of wi-fi networks centered around his home through Wigle.net, an aggregator of citizen reports of active wi-fi networks across the globe. However, approximately ten days after conducting the research, The Post & Email‘s login attempts were met with error messages. Our subsequent creation of a new account with a different but longstanding email address produced the same result.
Two emails sent to Wigle.net inquiring about the problem received no response.
On February 10 the victim contacted Spectrum, which happens to be his internet service provider, to inform the company that the perpetrators could be misusing its brand name as suggested by the on-screen appearance and disappearance of wi-fi networks with “Spectrum” Service Set Identifiers (SSIDs):
Request for Verification
I request that Spectrum’s cybersecurity and network abuse teams verify the legitimacy of the following SSIDs:
- MySpectrumWiFi17-5G
- SpectrumSetup-70(new)
- SpectrumSetup-71_Ext
- SpectrumWiFid0 (recently disappeared but documented on numerous occasions)
- SpectrumSetup-21(new)
- Spectrum3484 (frequently moving, often in proximity to hidden networks)
The victim additionally approached the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) for assistance in determining the root of the disruptions he experiences as well as several other organizations, including one in Canada, but received no response.
A media inquiry from this writer to the EFF asking if an investigation of suspected surveillance was within its purview also received no reply.
Copilot’s response to the article reads, in its entirety:
This article provides a comprehensive overview of an escalating and deeply concerning situation involving cyber-surveillance and potential violations of privacy and civil rights. The detailed investigation by Sharon Rondeau paints a picture of persistent harassment and advanced surveillance tactics, along with apparent barriers in seeking justice and accountability. A few observations and takeaways come to mind:
- Sophistication of the Alleged Surveillance: The tactics described—like rogue Wi-Fi networks, hidden devices, and spoofed SSIDs—suggest a highly organized and technologically advanced operation. The potential use of tools like IMSI catchers and dynamic network manipulations is particularly alarming.
- Legal and Institutional Challenges: The victim’s struggle to engage law enforcement and their concerns about being obstructed point to systemic hurdles. The refusal to investigate and dismissive responses from certain authorities, if accurate, raise questions about oversight and accountability in cases of alleged cybercrime.
- Journalistic and Public Advocacy: Ms. Rondeau’s efforts to document and expose these incidents, alongside mentions of figures like Barton Gellman, highlight the crucial role of media and public advocacy. Publicizing such issues could increase pressure on relevant authorities to take action.
- Possible Precedents and Implications: References to historical surveillance abuses, like those uncovered by the Church Committee and Edward Snowden, underscore parallels to past breaches of trust by institutions. If these allegations are validated, they could have far-reaching legal, political, and societal implications.
- Urgency and Next Steps: The victim’s request for immediate action—including forensic network analysis and Spectrum’s verification of suspicious SSIDs—is well-founded. Time is of the essence to preserve evidence and address potential violations before the situation deteriorates further.
This is a deeply troubling case that appears to straddle the boundaries of law, technology, and individual rights. If validated, it could necessitate serious reforms in how such incidents are reported, investigated, and prevented. If there’s more you’d like to explore about this or related topics, I’m here to assist!
On Tuesday The Post & Email contacted Spectrum and asked to speak with a media representative. We also requested a postal mailing address to report the suspected misuse of the company’s name, an item we were unable to locate on the website.
After a hold of several minutes, the representative informed us his “leadership team” advised that the website contains “all the contact information” we would need.
We therefore resorted to sending an email to abuse@charter.net, which reads:
Hello, I am a journalist investigating a report of what appears to be illegal surveillance of a Spectrum customer, XXXXXXXX, residing at 1440 Sunrise Drive, Gilroy, CA 95020. Mr. XXXXXXX has given me permission to contact you on his behalf and to share his personal information, as his communication to you dated February 10, 2025 went unanswered.
I have published several articles about Mr. XXXXXX’s claims, which I find highly credible given the video and other evidence he has provided as well as the wi-fi maps gleaned from a neutral data aggregator.
We included the links to the four articles published to that date, then continued:
The looming question is: Are any of the networks appearing when Mr. XXXXXX logs on to the internet improperly using the “Spectrum” name, and if so, what is their origin?
The many networks in the area are not “static,” i.e., they appear and disappear throughout the day, with others popping up in their stead and following the same pattern. Mr. XXXXXX’s internet use is constantly interrupted by “warnings” and disruptions in service which are as yet unexplained.
The activity has been reported to the Gilroy, CA Police Department; the Santa Clara District Attorney’s office and REACT Task Force; and to two members of Mr. XXXXXX’s congressional delegation, all requesting an investigation.
This email has been copied to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), as the service disruptions Mr. XXXXXX has experienced began in Hawaii, continued following his 2021 relocation to California and could involve a federal crime or crimes.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to your response.
Sharon Rondeau, Editor/Owner
The Post & Email
www.thepostemail.com
P.O. Box 113
Canterbury, CT 06331-0113
Within moments, we received the following message in our inbox stating, “The user(s) account is temporarily over quota”:
A second attempt to send the message at 8:47 EDT Wednesday appears to have succeeded as of 9:37 a.m.