In 2014, the Justice Department began pushing for legal changes to give law enforcement greater authority to hack into private computer systems. Several leading senators attempted to stall the rule change so that Congress could have more time to study the complex issue, which could potentially impact millions of Americans. Their effort failed and the new rules took effect on Dec. 1. While the rise of secure digital communications necessitates that law enforcement have additional authority to successfully investigate crimes and combat terrorism, expanding government hacking power needs to be done in a careful and deliberate manner. Alan McQuinn and Daniel Castro write in the Christian Science Monitor that given the scope and importance of these rules, Congress should oversee the changes to ensure they respect civil liberties, do not weaken cybersecurity, and achieve the desired results for law enforcement.
