PROVIDED BY CNNNEXT.COM
Published on Mar 18, 2015
The new rule change allows judges to grant warrants for remote searches of electronic devices located outside their district or even when the location is unknown.
The change comes as an amendment to 'Rule 41' which authorizes judges to approve search warrants only for material within the geographic bounds of their judicial district.
The plan has been widely opposed by a variety of organizations such as Google.
However, the US government has defended the decision as a necessary update of protocol, intended to modernize criminal procedure.
