Spokesman says program being developed but not yet in use

An FBI spokesman confirmed Wednesday that the U.S. government was working on a controversial Internet spying technology that could be used to eavesdrop on suspected criminals’ computer communications. The technology, code-named “Magic Lantern,” would allow the FBI to plant a Trojan horse keystroke logger on a target’s personal computer by sending a computer virus over the Internet, a prospect that outraged civil libertarians who said the program could be abused by overzealous law enforcement agencies. Until Wednesday, the FBI had refused to publicly discuss the program. FBI spokesman Paul Bresson said Wednesday that Magic Lantern was “a workbench project” that had not yet been deployed. “We can’t discuss it because it’s under development,” he said. The FBI has already acknowledged that it uses software that records keystrokes typed into a computer to obtain passwords that can be used to read encrypted e-mail and other documents as part of criminal investigations. A source familiar with the program told MSNBC.com that Magic Lantern would allow the agency to gain that information without having to gain physical access to the computer by implanting the logger through a Trojan horse downloaded as e-mail or inserted through common security vulnerabilities.