countersurveillance
noun
coun·ter·sur·veil·lance
ˌkau̇n-tər-sər-ˈvā-lən(t)s 
also -ˈvāl-yən(t)s,
or -ˈvā-ən(t)s
variants
or counter-surveillance
: methods and devices used for detecting or thwarting surveillance
agents trained in countersurveillance
When countersurveillance is employed by seasoned practitioners, it is used to identify the vehicles and individuals conducting the surveillance … This information is then used by the individual to thwart the hostile surveillance.—
Glenn McGovern
—often used before another nounGlenn McGoverncountersurveillance cameras
a counter-surveillance specialist
Examples of countersurveillance in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In 2018, after media accounts revealed one such donor’s under-the-table contributions to an Australian senator—who then provided countersurveillance advice to the Chinese donor—the senator was forced to resign his seat.
—Philip Zelikow, Foreign Affairs, 9 June 2020
Most notoriously, an ambitious young senator, Sam Dastyari, was exposed for parroting Communist Party talking points and giving countersurveillance advice to a Chinese political donor before being hounded into premature retirement.
—John Garnaut, Foreign Affairs, 9 Mar. 2018
Murphy suspected that another diner—a man, sitting alone—was running countersurveillance.
—Ben Taub, The New Yorker, 27 Feb. 2023
Tannehill says that countersurveillance measures for spy balloons would typically include physically moving equipment or personnel out of sight, rearranging equipment, and if possible, jamming the balloon's sensors.
—WIRED, 3 Feb. 2023
That day, Rhodes attracted the attention of a US Capitol Police special agent who was doing countersurveillance monitoring and had recently read a news article about the group.
—Lindsay Whitehurst, BostonGlobe.com, 23 Oct. 2022
One, an orthopedist who asked me not to use his name, had taken 15 Dorenbush classes spanning everything from countersurveillance to close-quarters combat.
—Rachel Monroe, Wired, 15 Jan. 2021
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Philip Zelikow, Foreign Affairs, 9 June 2020
Most notoriously, an ambitious young senator, Sam Dastyari, was exposed for parroting Communist Party talking points and giving countersurveillance advice to a Chinese political donor before being hounded into premature retirement.
—John Garnaut, Foreign Affairs, 9 Mar. 2018
Murphy suspected that another diner—a man, sitting alone—was running countersurveillance.
—Ben Taub, The New Yorker, 27 Feb. 2023
Tannehill says that countersurveillance measures for spy balloons would typically include physically moving equipment or personnel out of sight, rearranging equipment, and if possible, jamming the balloon's sensors.
—WIRED, 3 Feb. 2023
That day, Rhodes attracted the attention of a US Capitol Police special agent who was doing countersurveillance monitoring and had recently read a news article about the group.
—Lindsay Whitehurst, BostonGlobe.com, 23 Oct. 2022
One, an orthopedist who asked me not to use his name, had taken 15 Dorenbush classes spanning everything from countersurveillance to close-quarters combat.
—Rachel Monroe, Wired, 15 Jan. 2021
Dictionary Entries Near countersurveillance
Cite this Entry
“Countersurveillance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/countersurveillance. Accessed 4 Dec. 2024.
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