Privacy advocates have won another round in their fight to gain access to more information about the FBI's Carnivore e-mail surveillance system. A federal judge this week ordered the FBI to expand its search for records about Carnivore, also known as . . .

Privacy advocates have won another round in their fight to gain access to more information about the FBI's Carnivore e-mail surveillance system. A federal judge this week ordered the FBI to expand its search for records about Carnivore, also known as DCS1000, technology that is installed at Internet service providers to monitor e-mail from criminal suspects. The court denied a motion for summary judgment and ordered the FBI to produce within 60 days "a further search" of its records pertaining to Carnivore as well as a device called EtherPeek, which manages network traffic.

The FBI has defended Carnivore by assuring the public that it only captures e-mail and other online information authorized for seizure in a court order, but the Electronic Privacy Information Center ( EPIC) has voiced concerns over potential abuse. EPIC sued the FBI, the investigative arm of the Justice Department, in July 2000 under the Freedom of Information Act so it could examine Carnivore-related documents.

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