A teenager accused of setting fire to a fire that killed five members of a Senegalese immigrant family in Denver, Colorado, became the first person to challenge police, according to his lawyers, using a Google search history to find someone to may have committed a crime.
Proponents of privacy and abortion rights are closely monitoring opposition to this monitoring tool, known as keyword reverse lookup, as they are concerned that it could soon be used to investigate women seeking information on obtaining an abortion in countries where the procedure is now ongoing. illegally.
In documents filed Thursday in the Denver District Court, the 17-year-old’s lawyers allege that police violated the constitution when they ordered a judge to check Google’s extensive database of online searches of users who entered their home address. before it was burned on August 5, 2020. Three adults and two children died in the fire.
This search on Google records helped investigators target a teenager and two friends who were eventually charged with the deadly fire, according to police records. All were minors at the time of the arrest. Two of them, including a 17-year-old, are considered adults; they both admitted they were not guilty. The accused has not yet ruled in the juvenile court.
The 17-year-old’s lawyers say the search and all the evidence that came out of it should be discarded because it meant blindly eliminating billions of Google users’ queries based on the suspicion that the killer entered the address into a search engine. bar. That, lawyers argued, violated the Fourth Amendment, which protects against unreasonable investigations.
“People have an interest in privacy in their history of Internet search, which is really an archive of your personal expression,” said Michael Price, who is the chief attorney for the Center for the Fourth Amendment of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and one of the 17-year-olds. lawyers. “Search engines like Google are the gateway to a multitude of online information and the way most people find what they’re looking for. Each of these inquiries reveals something deeply private about the person, things they might not share with friends, family, or the clergy.
Keyword searches have become increasingly common in recent years as police use them to search for suspects in a variety of crimes, including a series of bombings in Texas, sexual abuse in Wisconsin and fraud in Minnesota. They differ from traditional search warrants in that the police search for them without knowing the name of the suspect; instead, they look for information that could lead them to the suspect.
Google does not disclose the number of keyword search requests received and has not responded to a request to provide this information. Google also did not respond to requests for comment.
Now that the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade, privacy advocates and women’s rights groups are concerned that a keyword search could extend to investigations into illegal abortions in countries that have banned them.
“Police officers will try to investigate people they believe are violating these laws. One way to do this is to ask Google to provide information about anyone looking for planned parenting in a particular location, ”said Jennifer Lynch, director of supervisory disputes at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit civil rights group that intends to file a brief description that supports the 17-year-old’s challenge to the keyword search order.
“If Google is allowed or required to provide data in this case in Colorado, nothing can prevent a court in a country that has banned abortion from requiring Google to provide information about this type of keyword search.”
Proponents of abortion rights are also concerned about geographic fencing orders in which police ask Google for information about devices that were near the crime scene to find the suspect. This tool was found unconstitutional by a judge in Virginia last year, but this ruling does not restrict police in other parts of the country.
Denver police, with the help of the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, turned to a search for keywords a few weeks after the fire, when they had not yet identified people caught on security video in masks just before the blaze.
A keyword search order issued in November 2020 led Google to search for anyone who inquired about the address of a home that burned down 15 days before the fire. According to court documents, Google provided information on 61 queries, along with the IP address – a unique number for each computer on the Internet. Investigators focused on some of these queries and asked Google to provide them with detailed user information. One of them was related to a 17-year-old.
From there, investigators examined other teen’s online activities, including Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, and text messaging.
An investigation revealed the fire was started by a false attempt to avenge someone who stole one of the co-accused’s phones, a Denver detective testified last year. After the fire, the co-defendant found that the people killed were not those he thought had stolen the phone, the detective said.
Were it not for the keyword search warrant, investigators would never have suspected the 17-year-old or his friends, his lawyers wrote in a motion filed Thursday.
“The starting point was to search for billions of Google users and all without a shred of evidence to search for any of them,” the lawyers wrote.
Lawyers called the investigation a violation of the privacy of not only the 17-year-old defendant, but all the people who searched on Google over a 15-day period.
The Denver Police Department declined to comment. So did the Denver District Attorney’s Office, which is prosecuting the case.
Price said allowing the government to read a huge amount of Google searches is similar to giving the government access to “thoughts, concerns, questions, fears” of users.
“Each of these inquiries reveals something deeply private about a person, things they might not share with friends, family, or the clergy,” Price said. “Psychiatrists in Denver.” “Abortion providers near me.” “Does God exist.” “Every day people ask these questions to Google, which is looking for information.”
What is illegal to search on the Internet?
Searching for certain topics online is illegal if it violates federal, state, and local laws that cause violations of what a person searches for and does with information. On the same subject : Hancock County Commission may take legal action over animal shelter funds | News, Sports, Jobs.
What is illegal for Google? Here are some search terms and topics on the internet that can be considered illegal and lead you to jail:
- Child pornography. Viewing content in which persons under the age of 17 engage in sexually explicit activities is considered a sexual crime. …
- Torrenting. …
- Questionable explosive terms. …
- Hire a killer.
Can you go to jail over a Google search?
In most cases, it’s perfectly legal to search for anything online, but if those searches are related to a crime or a potential crime, they can arrest you. On the same subject : How New York County Used the State ‘Red Flag’ Act to Seize 160 Firearms.
Can you get in trouble for porn searches?
In fact, pornography is one of the most successful existing online industries. However, if the pornographic material includes participants under the age of 18, viewing violates the law. Just looking for child pornography without actually watching it can arrest you for a crime.
What happens when you get a warning in a Google search?
Google is testing this feature to notify people when they search for a specific topic that may have unreliable results. This new system will alert users that the results they see are changing rapidly, and if the topic is new, it may take some time for the results to appear and be recorded when searching.
Does Google report illegal searches?
Does Google report illegal searches? No, but it has algorithms in place that prevent you from seeing the results of an illegal internet search.
Can police track you on the dark web?
Typical web browsers reveal their unique IP (Internet Protocol) address, which allows them to be tracked by law enforcement. But the dark web browser issues the wrong IP address using a type of relay to disguise the user’s identity. This may interest you : Amnesty International study: Poland illegally driving out Afghan refugees – JURIST – News. An important part of the activities of the dark web is legal.
Can the government monitor the dark web? For example, the FBI is said to be conducting operations that allow it to “de-anonymize” Tor servers. The FBI does this by setting up nodes in the network that allow the agency to see the identities and locations of some illegal Tor-based websites.
Can you be tracked on dark web?
If the scripts of a dark web page match superficial web scripts, those who use it can follow the user’s activities. This is generally a problem for those using Tor browsers because they serve as a link between the dark and the surface web. If you opt for the dark web, there is a chance that they will follow you.
Can you be anonymous on the dark web?
The dark web is a hidden set of web pages that can only be accessed with a specialized web browser. It is used to maintain anonymity and private internet activity, which can help with both legal and illegal applications.
Can you be tracked on the dark web with a VPN?
Using a VPN to access the Dark Web will hide the fact that you are using Tor from your ISP, government agencies, or any other third party that monitors and monitors your business.
Does Google track your searches?
For example, Google tracks your search history, as well as the location of your mobile device, the ads you watch, the videos you watch, and more. If you wish, you can configure Google to stop following you – at least for the most part – although in this case you will lose the benefits of all of Google’s customization features.
Does Google spy on your searches? Both Google and Facebook create your advertising profile, where they target ads based on your preferences. They do this by tracking your online activity and showing you the most relevant ads. Even though they say it’s for your own good, your privacy is at stake.
Can Google search history be tracked?
Summary. Your Google searches, voice searches, are all monitored and stored by Google so that your ads can be as personalized and accurate as possible.
Can someone see your Google search history?
Although you can only view your entire search history, be warned: if you leave your Gmail account signed in on a shared or family computer, people can not only smell your emails, they can also browse your search history.
Can anyone see my Google search history if I delete it?
Even if you delete all or part of your activity, Google still keeps a record of how you used its web browser in relation to the deleted data – if you search for something, it will remember that you searched for something at a certain time. and date, not what you specifically looked for, given …
Can someone track my browsing history?
Vulnerabilities. Private browsing is not secure, nor is it completely private. This is a feature of your web browser, which means that other applications can still access your web activity. If a keylogger or spyware software is installed on your computer, someone may be tracking your private browsing activity with these programs.
Does Google keep search history forever?
By default, Google will continue to store data about the web and the activity you set up for collection indefinitely – all by default. In this state, before automatic deletion is turned on, the Activity on the Web and Applications page says, “Your activity is saved until you delete it manually.”
Does your Internet history ever go away?
Your browser history is stored just like everything else on your computer, like a file (or collection of files). Deleting browser history only deletes these files from your hard drive.
Does Google delete search history after 18 months?
Google has announced that the company will now automatically delete new users’ location history and web and app activity after 18 months, but this does not apply to existing Google Accounts.
Can searching on Google lead to jail?
Some search terms that can lead you to jail include child pornography, hiring a criminal, and other questionable terms (e.g., making a bomb). Does Google report illegal searches? No, but it has algorithms in place that prevent you from seeing the results of an illegal internet search.
Can the police see my searches on Google? Police can obtain a warrant to investigate your browsing history “in any case where a police officer can convince a judge that there is probable reason to suspect that a suspect’s browsing history contains evidence of a crime,” says Stephanie Lacambra, a criminal defense attorney at Electronic. .
What is danger to search on Google?
Even today, your searches on Google are unsafe. Some of these results can bring cookies, viruses, malware, and more. “There are definitely a lot of Google keywords that are heavily owned by spammers and hackers who want to take on new victims,” says Jonathan Weber, founder of Marathon Studios Inc.
What are the dangers of Google?
Google is a “partially dangerous” site and people should be careful when using it, Google warns. The main search engine of the site could try to steal the personal data of its users or install malicious software on their computers, according to the unusually frank Google rating of itself.
Are Google searches safe?
All searches are encrypted. All searches on Google.com and the Google app are encrypted by default, so your information is safe from anyone trying to intercept that information.
Can you get malware from Google search?
Hackers are now using our search habits against us. They hack into high-performance websites and use them to infect an unsuspecting user with a version of malware called Gootloader. When they obtain login information on a high-performance site, criminals create more new pages.
