I’ve just seen this article on The Times website (via Slashdot).
The Times article is pretty sensationalist, and I don’t get the feeling that the Slashdot discussion will be particularly balanced either judging by the ~40 comments that have been posted already, but I still think it’s a terrible idea with regards to privacy.
[Richard Clayton]said the authorities could break into a suspect’s home or office and insert a “key-logging” device into an individual’s computer. This would collect and, if necessary, transmit details of all the suspect’s keystrokes. “It’s just like putting a secret camera in someone’s living room,” he said.
Police might also send an e-mail to a suspect’s computer. The message would include an attachment that contained a virus or “malware”. If the attachment was opened, the remote search facility would be covertly activated. Alternatively, police could park outside a suspect’s home and hack into his or her hard drive using the wireless network.
I’d be interested to know how investigators would deal with someone who’s taken the time to properly secure their gear. Are the police and MI5 sitting on a stack of SSH or WPA2 0-days? Although if they can gain enough physical access to install key-loggers covertly, I don’t suppose a tightly locked-down system is going to do much good anyway.
