FBI Scarfs up Scarfo's PGP passphrase, Federal Court Case

Declan McCullagh declan at well.com
Sat Jul 28 19:39:50 PDT 2001


The Scarfo case came up last December. Here's the background:

http://www.politechbot.com/p-01545.html
http://www.cluebot.com/article.pl?sid=00/12/06/0138246
http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,40541,00.html
http://www.wired.com/news/print/0,1294,33779,00.html

-Declan
    

On Sat, Jul 28, 2001 at 05:21:16PM -0700, Bill Stewart wrote:
> The article's somewhat long, and has quotes by David Sobel of EPIC
> and various Feds.  The Feds didn't have a wiretap warrant,
> only a search warrant, and black-bagged Scarfo's computer.
> 
>          "Armed only with a search warrant, the FBI broke into Scarfo's 
> business
>          and put either a program on his computer or an electronic bug in 
> his keyboard -
>          officials will not say which - and recorded everything typed by 
> the son
>          of the jailed former boss of the Philadelphia mob."
> 
> >Date:         Sat, 28 Jul 2001 17:51:46 -0500
> >Reply-To: Law & Policy of Computer Communications <CYBERIA-L at LISTSERV.AOL.COM>
> >From: Robert Helmer <roberthelmer at EARTHLINK.NET>
> >Subject:      FBI Surveillance of Computer Use
> >
> >"By bugging a keyboard or using special software, FBI agents can
> >remotely capture a computer user's every keystroke.
> >
> >"With a black box, they can intercept e-mail from miles away.
> >
> >"In a van parked outside, they secretly can recreate the pictures on a
> >computer screen from its electromagnetic energy.
> >
> >"The legal limits for these new investigative tools will get a test
> >Monday when a federal court in New Jersey examines an allegedly
> >mob-related case in which agents, without a wiretap order, recorded a
> >suspect's computer keystrokes.
> >
> >"Privacy experts are watching the case of Nicodemo S. Scarfo Jr. with
> >great interest because it could bring major changes to investigative
> >tactics in the online age."
> >
> >  http://cbsnews.com/now/story/0,1597,303859-412,00.shtml
> >
> >Bob Helmer
> >Webmaster
> >Daily Rotation
> >http://www.dailyrotation.com
> >Shell Extension City
> >http://www.shellcity.net
> >St. Louis, Missouri
> >
> >
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