T

he internet world for Bitcoiners using TOR is soon to be in a situation of curfew. The reason behind is a new “update” to the Rule 41 of the Federal Crime Procedure which will take effect on December 1 unless the Congress stands as a barricade in between.

The amendment approved by the Supreme Court will allow the FBI to gain access to any computer with a single warrant. All they need to do is prove that the device is hiding behind a cover i.e. concealing its location by using software like TOR. More precisely, it seems that they are buying a new set of weapons to destroy the world of TOR.

Earlier, the situation was that if FBI had to gain access to any device, they would have to get a warrant from the district court of that place. Now, they have come up with an all-in-one package to carry on their crime fighting activities. Also, they can access your device even if you’re not the one involved in any criminal activity at all, you might be a victim.

The people who use Bitcoin will be affected as the FBI will be after them as soon as they try to anonymize themselves on the TOR network. And not only the Bitcoiners, the people who bypass digital boundaries to watch censored content or download copyrighted media using Bittorrent will also be affected. The ones who use VPN services to watch Netflix shows, all of them may be the target. So, it’s time to think before doing any actions that would break the cover between you and the FBI.

Also Read: Everything About Tor: What is Tor? How Tor Works?

“The change seemingly means that the limit on warrants is excused in any instance where a Virtual Private Network (VPN) is set up. Banks, online retailers, communications providers and other businesses around the world commonly use VPNs to help keep their networks and users’ information secure. A VPN can obscure the actual location of a network, however, and thus could be subject to a remote search warrant where it would not have been otherwise,” – posted Richard Salgado, Legal Director, Law Enforcement and Information Security at Google.

Google opposed the “said” amendment by making an official comment on a federal web platform. The language used in the update to Rule 41 doesn’t guarantee any solid assurance that the new rule will be applicable in geographical boundaries of the United States. “Even if the intent of the proposed change is to permit U.S. authorities to obtain a warrant to directly access and retrieve data only from computers and devices within the U.S., there is nothing in the proposed change to Rule 41 that would prevent access to computers and devices worldwide,” – said Salgado

The prime reason that concerns the masses is the breach of digital security and the user privacy. Personal data of millions of internet users around the world will be enjoyed by the FBI guys over a cup of coffee and peanut butter sandwich. It is the Congress which can be the hero in this movie.

“Happily, there is Congressional push back. H.R.5321 – the Stopping Mass Hacking Act (SMH or, in internet terms “Shaking My Head”) – was just introduced into the House. The Senate version, S.2952, is also in play,” – reports Bitcoin News.

FBI’s hatred for the onion network has been a long time affair trending on various mediums worldwide. Although not literally mentioned, it seems as if the amendment has been brought into existence for ransacking the anonymous realm of TOR. Also, we have seen how they tried to force Apple to unlock an iPhone and the childish questions they asked to prove their point. All we can do is wait and watch, what actions are taken by the Congress in the upcoming months.