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Court Rules that FBI Can Use Keylogger without Wiretap Order

A federal court ruled last month that the FBI did not need a special wiretap order to place a keystroke logging device on a suspect�s computer. Also, the judge allowed the FBI to keep details of the device secret, citing national security concerns. The defendant in the case, Nicodemo Scarfo Jr., used encryption to protect a file on his computer. The FBI used the keystroke logging device to capture Scarfo�s password and gain access to the file.

FBI May Use Keystroke-Recording Device Without Wiretap Order, New Jersey Law Journal, January 3, 2002.