The FBI Just Gained Sweeping New Hacking Powers

[mitty14u2]

Source: /nymag.com/daily



At midnight, the FBI is set to get sweeping new powers, which will allow it to hack millions of computers and phones.

A failed last-ditch effort to block the new rules by Democratic Senator Ron Wyden on Wednesday means that, on Thursday, judges will be able to issue warrants that allow the FBI to remotely access electronic devices anywhere in the United States and possibly even abroad. Previously, judges could only issue warrants to computers in their jurisdictions, rarely larger than a few counties.

Not only will the FBI be able to access individual devices, but in crimes that utilize networks consisting of millions of computers it can now request a blanket warrant to remotely access all of them.

On Wednesday, Wyden railed against the new law, calling it “one of the biggest mistakes in surveillance policy in years,” and warned that it would give the government “unprecedented authority to hack into Americans’ personal phones, computers and other devices.”

Read more: http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/11/the-fbi-just-gained-sweeping-new-hacking-powers.html

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Big Brother only gets Bigger

[classof56]

1. A giant thank you to Senator Wyden for standing against this travesty.

Very proud of my Senator!!

[MattP]

2. Comey and Trump

[Achilleaze]

15. Bing-freaken-O !

[Justice]

3. so FBI could shop for judge who would grant warrant.

[killbotfactory]

4. With Trump and GOP in charge, nothing could possibly go wrong. nt

[OregonBlue]

5. Guess we all need to remember how petty and vengeful Trump is. Scary stuff.

[Crash2Parties]

13. People will quickly become afraid to oppose him online

if he makes examples out of a few

[INdemo]

6. This should end up in the Supreme Court but we dont have that

option with every branch of the Government now controlled by Fascists.

Google and read the rise of Hitler or the rise of the Nazi Party and you will find nearly identical similarities

(wont be able to post this after today)

[barbtries]

9. it's Thursday already.

but in reality this shit has been getting captured for a long time.

[cilla4progress]

7. Then they can do their patriotic duty

and go hack orangeman's TAX RETURNS!!!

[friendly_iconoclast]

8. How long before disabling FBI malware on your own computer becomes illegal?

Not long at all, I fear...

[applegrove]

10. Cool.

[ManiacJoe]

11. Just because they now have the legal ability

does not mean they have the physical ability.

[agalisgv]

12. Am I the only one who thinks they've already been doing this?

Guess it just makes it legal now.

[friendly_iconoclast]

14. Of course they've been doing this all along, this just takes the legal fig leaf off