Computers and warrants: Some senators oppose Justice plan

WASHINGTON (AP) — A bipartisan group of senators took a first step Thursday to blocking a Justice Department proposal that they say would make it too easy for the government to hack into computers during investigations.

Justice Department officials say that requirement is not practical in complex computer crime cases where investigators don't know the physical location of the device they want to search.

In instances when cybercriminals operate on networks that conceal their identity and location, the government wants to ensure that any magistrate in a judicial district where a crime may have occurred can sign off on a search warrant that gives investigators remote access to the computer.

"When the country is in the middle of one of the most heated presidential campaigns in a long time, the Justice Department is trying to maneuver a vast expansion of the government's hacking authority," Wyden said in a recent interview with The Associated Press.