DailyDot: "An effort to block expansion of government hacking powers failed on Wednesday, ushering in a new era of uncertainty for digital privacy. Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) attempted to block changes to Rule 41 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, approved by the Supreme Court in April, that will allow judges to issue search warrants that give the FBI authority to remotely access devices in any jurisdiction, or even outside the United States. Ordinarily, magistrate judges may only issue warrants for cases within their jurisdiction. The changes allow investigators to access devices whose locations are “concealed through technological means”—such as the Tor anonymity network or virtual private networks (VPNs)—or devices that are used in botnets. The DOJ argues that it needs these powers to investigate modern internet criminals, like pedophiles who conceal their identities to trade in sexualized images of children or discuss their abuse, and hackers' botnets that have become powerful cyberweapons. In short, the rule changes free federal investigators from geography to match the global nature of the internet itself..." More, and links: https://www.dailydot.com/layer8/rule-41-fbi-hacking-powers-expansion/