Previously on Shhh-cretly, we reported how the FBI could legally impersonate someone’s identity to create a phony Facebook account in that person’s name without that person’s knowledge in order to reach out to suspected criminals – and separately the NSA also disguised itself as Facebook servers in order to gain access to the computers of intelligence targets.
Well the buck doesn’t stop there. It turned out that the FBI, in the spirits of catching suspects, was also involved in planting fake news stories: The editor of The Seattle Times found out only last week that the FBI made a mock-up of the publication’s website in 2007 in order to spread spyware onto the computer of a suspect.
The FBI is reportedly defending its right to rely on such tactics to prevent “possible act of violence” – and let’s not forget FBI director James Comey is not impressed with Apple and Google phones being “too secure” and he’s been busy making his rounds pressurizing the Congress to force Apple and Google to do away with their new default smartphone encryption so that the bureau can access those devices, in the namesake of law enforcement of course.
Or do you think the bureau has gone well overboard and beyond its restraints?
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