A new report on FBI
surveillance techniques has revealed some interesting details on the hacks the
Bureau is using to keep tabs on suspected criminals. Published in theWashington Post, the story covers the search for a man known as ‘Mo’ who is
alleged to have made several bomb threats to authorities.
In the article, Marcus
Thomas, who used to work at the FBI’s Operational Technology Division, admits
that FBI software can covertly enable a laptop’s webcam without triggering a
warning light. This kind of secret surveillance is only used in terrorism cases
or the “most serious” criminal investigations said Thomas.
According to the report,
the Federal Bureau of Investigation often attempts to install malware by
targeting the email addresses of those who are under investigation.
Essentially, law enforcement agencies are using the same phishing techniques as
spammers pushing medication supplies or looking to get into your social media
accounts.
“We have transitioned
into a world where law enforcement is hacking into people’s computers, and we
have never had public debate,” Christopher Soghoian, principal technologist for
the American Civil Liberties Union, told the Post. “Judges are having to make
up these powers as they go along.”
Among the other software
utilized by the FBI is a diagnostics program that can produce a detailed
breakdown of a user’s computer configuration and installed applications.
Another tool can be transmitted over the Web as soon as someone signs into a
particular email address that has been identified for investigation. Emails,
documents and photos can all be downloaded covertly.
In each case, the FBI must
apply to a federal magistrate for permission to monitor a particular
individual.
“You can’t just go on a
fishing expedition,” said law professor Laura K. Donohue in the Post’s article.
“There needs to be a nexus between the crime being alleged and the material to
be seized. What they are doing [in the case of 'Mo'], though, is collecting
everything.”
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