New snooping powers in FBI’s hands during Trump era
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation has become more powerful than ever in the ability to gain access to personal data of citizens in the United States and possibly the rest of the world.
The United States judges can now issue search warrants to give the FBI the authority to remotely access computers in any jurisdiction.
So far, magistrates could only issue such a warrant for their own jurisdiction but that is going to change once the new modifications to Rule 41 of the federal rules of criminal procedure take effect on Thursday.
The changes were approved in a private meeting of the US Supreme Court earlier this year and could be applied without congressional approval.
Oregon Democratic Senator Ron Wyden tried three times Wednesday to delay the changes but his efforts were blocked by the second-ranking Republican in the Senate, John Cornyn of Texas.
Granting the FBI such powers is "one of the biggest mistakes in surveillance policy in years,” Wyden was quoted by Reuters as saying on the Senate floor.
It will give "unprecedented authority to hack into Americans' personal phones, computers and other devices," he added.
The move is especially dangerous as US President-elect Donald Trump (Pictured below) will be the one to enjoy the new capabilities and he has "openly said he wants the power to hack his political opponents the same way Russia does."
While campaigning for the 2016 presidential election, Trump hailed efforts to hack data on his opponent, Hillary Clinton, which the Democratic campaign blamed Russia for.
Delaware Democratic Senator Chris Coons and Montana Republican Steve Daines also spoke against granting the new powers to the FBI but to no avail.
According to US Assistant Attorney General Leslie Caldwell, the benefits the federal authority will gain by the new changes outweigh any potential for "unintended harm."
"The possibility of such harm must be balanced against the very real and ongoing harms perpetrated by criminals - such as hackers, who continue to harm the security and invade the privacy of Americans through an ongoing botnet, or pedophiles who openly and brazenly discuss their plans to sexually assault children," Caldwell wrote in a blog post.
According to American whistleblower Edward Snowden, the US government’s surveillance methods far surpass those of an ‘Orwellian’ state, referring to George Orwell’s classic novel “1984,” which describes a society where personal privacy is continuously invaded by spy agencies.
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