Google is not a fan of the U.S. Department of Justice's plan to give the government more freedom in its hacking capabilities, with company lawyers saying such a move is unconstitutional and would put the internet on a dangerous path.
Richard Salgado, director for law enforcement and information security at Google, explained such fears in a recent submission to Washington, which focuses on the DOJ's attempt to update Rule 41 of the federal rules of criminal code, according to The International Business Times.
The rule currently gives judges the power to grant federal search warrants only within their legal jurisdiction, and the DOJ intends to expand its reach so it could obtain warrants for computers in unknown locations.
The search giant warned that the update would give FBI agents unrestrained access to a large amount of private information, expressing concern over the agency's interest in "remotely" searching computers with hidden details about their location, The Guardian reported. The company added that such searches "may take place anywhere in the world. This concern is not theoretical ... [T]he nature of today's technology is such that warrants issued under the proposed amendment will in many cases end up authorizing the government to conduct searches outside the United States."
The DOJ has defended its plan, with FBI agents arguing that expanding its boundary for warrants would help with investigations where suspects have concealed the location of their computer networks. Officials also told Washington in a comment that federal agents would only need the new warrants whenever there was "probable cause to search for or seize evidence, fruits, or instrumentalities of crime."
Salgado, however, wrote in Google's submission that the move "raises a number of monumental and highly complex constitutional, legal, and geopolitical concerns that should be left to Congress to decide," IBT reported.
"The serious and complex constitutional concerns implicated by the proposed amendment are numerous and, because of the nature of the Fourth Amendment case law development, are unlikely to be addressed by courts in a timely fashion."
Google is currently the only tech company to oppose the DOJ's proposal despite receiving support from the American Civil Liberties Union and other civil liberties groups.
The Advisory Committee on Criminal Rules, which looks over rules including those pertaining to the FBI's activities, will be tasked with looking over Google's submission regarding the DOJ's plan, The Guardian reported. The submission joins 37 others from interest groups that will be considered.
