FBI PC bug in dock

A mafia show trial has descended into chaos after the judge demanded the FBI show him its computer snooping techniques to ensure its hasn't breached privacy laws.

The case, charging Nicodemo Scarfo Jr of running illegal gambling and loan sharking operations for the Gambino crime family, is the first in which US law enforcers have gathered evidence by logging the keystrokes of a suspect's PC by secretly installing a bug under search warrant.

The trial has provoked a storm of controversy, with privacy campaigners complaining the device undermines human rights.

District court judge Nicholas Politan has ruled that in order to assess the legality of the device, he should be provided with a full report on how it works.

He wrote: "In this new age of rapidly evolving technology, the court cannot make a determination as to the lawfulness of the government's search& without knowing specifically how the search was effectuated."

In response, the government has argued that revealing how the device works might jeopardise national security and endanger FBI personnel. Judge Politan has given it 10 days to prove this is the case.