In a first in the rapidly evolving field of cyberspace law, Russia’s counterintelligence service on Thursday filed criminal charges against an FBI agent it says lured two Russian hackers to the United States, then illegally seized evidence against them by downloading data from their computers in Chelyabinsk, Russia.


IGOR TKACH, an investigator with Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB, started criminal proceedings against FBI Agent Michael Schuler for unauthorized access to computer information, according to the Interfax news agency.

       The agency reported the complaint had been forwarded to the U.S. Justice Department and that the FSB was awaiting a response.

       The FBI said Thursday it had no comment on the case, and the Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment.

       Interfax quoted sources with the FSB as describing the criminal complaint as an effort to restore traditional law enforcement borders.

       “If the Russian hackers are sentenced on the basis of information obtained by the Americans through hacking, that will imply the future ability of U.S. secret services to use illegal methods in the collection of information in Russia and other countries,” the news agency quoted one source as saying.

Full Article: MSNBC