Britney Spears, the pop icon, a star with a name that echoes throughout the world that even after decades her songs still hums inside the minds of many millennials.
She burst onto the scene in the late '90s with her infectious pop hits and undeniable charisma. From
She's a bona fide singer who left an indelible mark on the music industry.
But besides her headline-grabbing career and popularity, she also had a fair share of other headline-grabbing moments, most notably from her highly publicized relationships, to her occasionally tumultuous personal life.
And this time, it's realized that her father hired an Israeli private security agency to conduct an intense surveillance operation on his daughter.
Using a spyware installed on Britney's phone, her father secretly recorded the pop star and monitored her communications, according to a report.
Former Black Box employee Alex Vaslov who leaked the information to The New York Times, came forward to speak to the documentary called the "Controlling Britney Spears."
He showed evidence that include emails, text messages, and audio recordings of Britney in her bedroom speaking with her boyfriend and children.
The method also involved mirroring Britney's Apple iCloud account to an iPad, and later on an iPod.
Black Box would then have Alex encrypt all of Britney's digital communications captured on the mirrored devices to be sent to Britney's father James Spears and Robin Greenhill, an employee of Tri Star Sports & Entertainment Group, the former business manager for the singer’s estate.
The cybersecurity manager said that the invasive surveillance operation that Britney unknowingly underwent, enabled the people tied to the conservatorship, mainly her father, to have complete control over her life.
"Her own phone and her own private conversations were used so often to control her," Alex said.
During his nine years working for Black Box, the employee was told that the surveillance measures were necessary and put in place to protect the singer.
He was also informed that the singer was actively involved in the conservatorship and that she allegedly wanted to be part of it.
"It really reminded me of somebody that was in prison," said Alex, adding that "security was put in a position to be the prison guards essentially."
Alex also recalled "one of the biggest ‘aha,’ red-flag moments" in his tenure at Black Box had happened in August 2020, when Britney's court-appointed lawyer, Samuel D. Ingham III, sent an email to James Spears’s lawyers and Black Box, asking for written confirmation that Britney's new phone was not being monitored.
"Ethically, I need to get written confirmation that no one other than my client can access her calls, voice-mail messages or texts directly or indirectly,” the lawyer wrote in the email, which was reviewed by The New York Times.
The CEO and founder of Black Box, Edan Yemini, is described as having a background in the Israeli Special Forces on the firm’s website.
He did not respond to any questioning, but his lawyer did.
"Mr. Yemini and Black Box have always conducted themselves within professional, ethical and legal bounds, and they are particularly proud of their work in keeping Ms. Spears safe for many years," the lawyer said on Yemini's behalf.
Alex's revelation and his trove of materials, create the most detailed portrait yet of what Britney's life has been like under the conservatorship.
Not only that Britney was the subject of surveillance, because according to Alex, Britney's boyfriends, and a number of prominent fans, were had their whereabouts tracked by private investigators.
In response to detailed questions from The New York Times, a lawyer for James Spears issued a statement.
"All of his actions were well within the parameters of the authority conferred upon him by the court. His actions were done with the knowledge and consent of Britney, her court-appointed attorney, and/or the court. Jamie’s record as conservator - and the court’s approval of his actions - speak for themselves," the lawyer said.
The lawyer also responded by saying that the father "has no access to her calls, voice-mail messages, or texts."
"Mr. Spears’ actions have always been proper, and in strict conformity with the law, and the orders of the Los Angeles Superior Court."
And as for Tri Star Sports & Entertainment Group, a lawyer responded to questions about the surveillance operation, saying that the allegations are not true.
" [ ...] Ms. Greenhill was only involved in Ms. Spears’ security to the extent Ms. Spears requested her involvement, as well as Tri Star’s role of issuing the payments to the security company."
Under the conservatorship, Britney Spears' father is the pop singer's court-appointed decision-maker, granting him the utmost control over her finances and personal decisions.
The arrangement has seen the singer prevented from her from getting her nails done, changing the color of her kitchen, and has even resulted in her having an IUD preventing her from having a baby.
Britney has long expressed strong objections to the court-sanctioned conservatorship, which is giving her literally no freedom at all. She has blamed her mother for giving her father "the idea" of conservatorship.
The thing is, how the conservatorship worked had never been fully understood.
For years, Britney's fans have called for her freedom in a movement dubbed #FreeBritney where the hashtag gained massive traction.
Regardless of the rumors and speculation, Britney's talent is certainly undeniable.
What's worth noting, the surveillance involving Britney Spears helped Black Box grow from a tiny operation to a prominent player in the celebrity security industry. It counts the Kardashians, Miley Cyrus and Lana Del Rey among its clients.
