"This is something that we need international cooperation on and we need to have movement on in order to get the information that allows us to anticipate and prevent what occurred in New York and in Washington," Gregg said, according to a copy of his remarks that an aide provided. […] Gregg said encryption makers "have as much at risk as we have at risk as a nation, and they should understand that as a matter of citizenship, they have an obligation" to include decryption methods for government agents. Gregg, who previously headed the appropriations subcommittee overseeing the Justice Department, said that such access would only take place with "court oversight." […] Gregg, the GOP's chief deputy whip, predicted that without such a requirement, "the quantum leap that has occurred in the capacity to encrypt information" will frustrate the U.S. government's efforts to preserve the safety of Americans. -- https://www.wired.com/2001/09/congress-mulls-stiff-crypto-laws/ (2 days after 9/11)
Details are sketchy, but Magic Lantern reportedly works by masquerading as an innocent e-mail attachment that will insert FBI spyware inside your computer. In the past, the FBI has said publicly that agents have been flummoxed by suspects using encryption, something that software such as Magic Lantern could circumvent by secretly recording a passphrase and secret encryption key, then forwarding the confidential data to the feds. An Associated Press article then reported that "at least one antivirus software company, McAfee Corp., contacted the FBI ... to ensure its software wouldn't inadvertently detect the bureau's snooping software and alert a criminal suspect." -- https://www.wired.com/2001/11/lantern-backdoor-flap-rages/