Governments asking Google for excessively broad search data

YahooThe U.S. government is reportedly secretly issuing warrants for Google to provide user data on anyone typing in certain search terms, raising fears that innocent online users could get caught up in serious crime investigations at a greater frequency than previously thought.

In an attempt to track down criminals, federal investigators have started using new "keyword warrants" and used them to ask Google to provide them information on anyone who searched a victim's name or their address during a particular year, an accidentally unsealed court document that Forbes found shows.

It seems to me that the core problem here is similar to that with certain types of DNA testing. It's entirely proper to identify a subject, gather evidence, seek a warrant, and then perform a DNA test to confirm that you have the right person, or at least that the person you have isn't ruled out by the DNA found at the scene of the crime. It's entirely improper to start with a DNA sample and then go looking for people whose DNA is similar to that sample. It becomes a massive fishing expedition against anyone who had cause to look up an address or a name.

This entry was published Sat Oct 23 23:13:50 CDT 2021 by TriggerFinger and last updated 2021-10-23 23:13:50.0. [Tweet]

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