The Associated Press has filed a lawsuit against the FBI for allegedly using the agency's name to distribute fake news that contained malware. Of course the FBI's goal was to distribute malware on the computers of criminal suspects.
The news agency, along with the Reports Committee for Freedom of the Press (RCFP), filed a lawsuit against the feds on Thursday in U.S. District Court USA in Washington, DC, asking the court to compel the FBI to turn over all information related to online impersonation.
According to the Associated Press lawsuit (PDF), the incident happened when the FBI was investigating bombing threats against a high school in Washington State.
Hoping to attract the person behind an account of it MySpace believed to be connected to the threats, FBI agents set up an Associated Press website and published an article titled “High School Bomb Threat Ended by Local Police Department.”
On the website in question, there was also a script that he could install secretly spyware. After creating the fake website, the feds sent a link to the MySpace account they were interested in via a private message.
When the suspect (a 15-year-old student) did click link to read the alleged story, the FBI's page installed the surveillance tool that allowed agents to track down the suspect.
The spyware verified the IP of the student's computer, gaining the MAC address and the details of the Windows computer it was using, all the evidence needed to capture the child. The disguised malware installation was conducted with a search warrant.
The Associated Press and RCFP claim that by mimicking the site and the name of the company in general, the FBI has undermined its credibility as a news agency.
"This practice undermines the credibility of the independent media, and we must not reclaim it," said RCFP Director Katie Townsend.
"And while the public is clearly interested in learning more about the use of this tactic by the FBI, the FBI seems determined to refuse to provide the information."
So the Associated Press and the RCFP are asking the FBI to release all documents related to this scam that appear to be in violation of the Freedom of Information Act. They also demand that the FBI be charged with the costs of litigation as well as the lawyer's fee.
