Electronic surveillance

US Supreme Court extends FBI access to computer searches

The US Supreme Court approved a rule change that would let US judges issue search warrants for access to computers located in any jurisdiction, not just their own.  US Chief Justice John Roberts transmitted the rules to Congress, which will have until December to reject or modify the changes to the federal rules of criminal procedure, Reuters reports. If Congress does not act, the rules would take effect automatically. 

Magistrate judges normally can order searches only within the jurisdiction of their court, which is typically limited to a few counties. The US Justice Department, which has pushed for the rule change since 2013, has described it as a minor modification needed to modernize the criminal code for the digital age, and has said it would not permit searches or seizures that are not already legal. 

Google and civil liberties groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union and Access Now contend the change would vastly expand the FBI's ability to conduct mass hacks on computer networks. They say it also could run afoul of the US Constitution's protections against unreasonable searches and seizures.