"Magic Lantern is software that, once installed on the suspect's computer, will record every keystroke typed. The gathered keystrokes will then be analyzed by the FBI to extract passwords. The harvested passwords will be used by the FBI to access the suspect's email messages and other encrypted documents, or to gain access to other computers contacted by the suspect via the Internet."

"An FBI spokesman confirmed Wednesday that the U.S. government was working on a controversial Internet spying technology that could be used to eavesdrop on suspected criminals' computer communications. MSNBC.com first reported in November that the technology, code-named "Magic Lantern," would allow the FBI to plant a Trojan horse keystroke logger on a target's personal computer by sending a computer virus over the Internet, a prospect that outraged civil libertarians who said the program could be abused by overzealous law enforcement agencies."

"The FBI is developing software capable of inserting a computer virus onto a suspect's machine and obtaining encryption keys, a source familiar with the project told MSNBC.com. The software, known as "Magic Lantern," enables agents to read data that had been scrambled, a tactic often employed by criminals to hide information and evade law enforcement. The best snooping technology that the FBI currently uses, the controversial software called Carnivore, has been useless against suspects clever enough to encrypt their files."

"Before being confirmed for the Supreme Court, Louis Brandeis was known as the People's Lawyer because he was pro-labor and fought monopolies and trusts. It took months before the Senate agreed to put this "Radical" on the court as the first Jew in its history. Brandeis was particularly passionate about the right to privacy, and one of his dissents on that issue foresaw the Bush-Ashcroft administration's ominous assaults on that right."

"In order to stop criminals and terrorists who may be plotting evil deeds using computers and the Internet, the FBI is developing a tool that is more commonly associated with computer hackers."