German Government Plans Spyware Use

The German government plans to send e-mails to install Trojans on the computers of suspected terrorists to search their hard drives.

In a very bizarre story, the German government has announced plans to send e-mails containing spyware to suspected terrorists, which will allow agents to search the hard drives of the suspects.   The e-mail (which would evidently purport to come from various official bodies) will contain a Trojan that installs itself on the suspect’s computer. The German Interior Minister, Wolfgang Schaeuble, has stated that the spyware would be used only in a few cases and for a limited time as part of a new anti-terrorism bill. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said she supports the measure.   Unsurprisingly, there’s been plenty of criticism of the plans. Gisela Piltz, of the Free Democrats, called it a totally unacceptable intrusion into privacy. Justice Minister Brigitte Zypries, of the Social Democrats (SPD), has voiced concern about the spyware plans, saying they might infringe privacy laws.   Meanwhile, you have to wonder exactly why the government announced this will happen, since it give forewarning to all those terrorist suspects.