14 DAY TRIAL // The FBI federal agents decided to install a spyware file on the computer owned by a MySpace registered member in order to find private information and arrest him for bomb threats concerning a high school in Olympia, Wash, ZDNet reports. According to the same source, the FBI required the court approval that agreed to send the CIPAV spyware on user's computer to steal his information. Basically, the officials intended to obtain the IP address of the user nicknamed 'timberlinebombinfo' as well as other details that can help them send the MySpace user to prison. Finally, he was sentenced to 90 days in juvenile detention after he pleaded guilty for bomb threats.
The interesting aspect of this case is represented by the FBI procedure used to find information about the user. Is it morally fair to use this kind of technology in order to find incriminatory details about a suspect? According to the same source, the FBI Agent Norm Sanders wrote a statement to explain the way the virus works that was presented to the judge.
"The exact nature of these commands, processes, capabilities, and their configuration is classified as a law enforcement sensitive investigative technique, the disclosure of which would likely jeopardize other ongoing investigations and/or future use of the technique," it is mentioned in the statement according to ZDNet.
Some time ago, the German authorities intended to do a similar act and tried to install an infected file on a user computer to find incriminatory evidence to arrest and send him to prison. However, the judge didn't approve the requirement and blocked the attempt because it could start a powerful campaign that could affect the authorities' image in the country.
This time, the FBI really received the court's approval but, since it involved bomb threats, the case is quite important and refers to the security of an entire nation so it's probably good for most of us.