The Supreme Court prohibited German authorities from spying systems

Feb 7, 2007 13:57 GMT  ·  By

As you probably know, hacking is regarded as an illegal activity in the entire world, being blocked by multiple security solutions created by specialized companies. Security companies are continuously working to develop new tools or improve the existing ones to block all the hacking attempts but sometimes, it's very difficult to protect a certain computer. At this time, most users try to defend their systems by installing a firewall or a security suite that contains all the tools necessary to assure the protection of your operating system.

Authorities from all around the world are continuously trying to identify and punish hackers but it is very difficult to discover all of them because their attacking methods are more and more powerful. One of the most interesting cases was reported in Germany where the police authorities required approval to hack certain computers to find information and other incriminatory evidences to arrest suspects.

Although the German court rejected the request because no law allows authorities to spy suspect's computers, it seems like Interior Minister Wolfgang Sch?uble, one of the persons that sustained the matter, wants to promote a new legislation to make hacking legal in some circumstances.

"No legal framework for secret police hacking exists at this time, decided Germany's Federal Court of Justice Monday in Karlsruhe, since searching computer and Internet data on a suspect's computer without their knowledge cannot be compared to existing methods of police investigation. The court ruling stated that home searches differed from computer searches because they were always conducted in the presence of the suspect, or at least a witness. Telephone taps could also not be compared with computer hacking, continued the report, because previously saved data files fundamentally differ from live telecommunication," Deutsche Welle reported.