With little fanfare, zero congressional review or debate, and barely any public awareness, the FBI is requesting a rule change to gain broad powers to remotely search multiple computers, no matter location, on a single warrant. The implications are far-reaching and apt to affect not only suspected criminals but the innocent as well, including victims of hackers and botnets. Setting aside the Fourth Amendment, privacy concerns, and potential diplomatic consequences, there are technical reasons to oppose the rule change as proposed. Remote searches require the installation of software, or malware, which often causes unintended computer problems. What provisions prevent damage to files or programs? How will computer owners be notified? These and other technical questions are contained in a comments document by Steven M. Bellovin, Matt Blaze (University of Pennsylvania), and Susan Landau (Worcester Polytechnic Institute) and summarized here.
more here.........http://www.cs.columbia.edu/2015/bellovin-rule41-comments/
more here.........http://www.cs.columbia.edu/2015/bellovin-rule41-comments/