US intelligence agencies were given the right to hack any computer in the world

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The US Supreme Court approved amendments to legislation that give law enforcement agencies the right to access computers in any place, even abroad.

Previously, such computer "searches" were authorized by magistrates within their court's jurisdiction, which often included only a few counties.

The US Department of Justice states that the amendments are necessary to improve legislation in the digital age.

However, critics argue that the innovations expand the powers of the FBI to break into computer networks.

The Department of Justice is in favor of allowing judges to sanction access to computers located in any place that is subject to US jurisdiction, including outside the country.

A remote search, as a rule, involves hacking a suspect’s computer in order to examine the information stored in it.

The Ministry of Justice has been seeking changes in legislation since 2013, arguing that criminals can hide or disguise their location and identity on the Internet, which makes it difficult to establish their jurisdiction.

"The only way available"

“Criminals now have access to sophisticated anonymization technologies to hide their identities when committing crimes online,” ministry spokesman Peter Carr said.

“Often, a remote search is the only way law enforcement has the opportunity to identify them,” Carr continued. “The amendments make clear that the traditional rules of probable cause and notice remain in effect.”

The ministry also claims that innovations do not give law enforcement agencies any new powers that are not provided for by existing legislation.

However, critics of the amendments, in particular the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), insist that the changes in the law could expand the FBI’s ability to crack computer networks.

«Thousands or millions of computers"

“Such a significant change in the law should not pass Congress under the guise of due process,” says Neema Singh Guliani of the ACLU.

In 2015, Google also opposed amendments that, according to its representatives, “threaten to undermine the privacy rights and computer security of Internet users.”

Oregon senator Ron Wyden said that innovations would have significant implications for Americans ’privacy, and promised to reverse the decision.

“Under the proposed regulations, the government would be able to obtain just one warrant to access and search thousands or millions of computers at once. Moreover, the vast majority of these computers will belong to victims of cybercrime, and not to the criminals themselves,” his statement said.

The Congress still has the opportunity to reject or amend the amendments until December 1, when they officially enter into force.

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