10-10-2020 , 02:46 PM
Google is giving data to police based on search keywords, court docs show
Court records in an arson case show that Google gave away data on people who searched for a specific address.
There are few things as revealing as a person's search history, and police typically need a warrant on a known suspect to demand that sensitive information. But a recently unsealed court document found that investigators can request such data in reverse order by asking Google to disclose everyone who searched a keyword rather than for information on a known suspect.
In August, police arrested Michael Williams, an associate of singer and accused sex offender R. Kelly, for allegedly setting fire to a witness' car in Florida. Investigators linked Williams to the arson, as well as witness tampering, after sending a search warrant to Google that requested information on "users who had searched the address of the residence close in time to the arson."
https://www.cnet.com/news/google-is-giving-data-to-police-based-on-search-keywords-court-docs-show/
Court records in an arson case show that Google gave away data on people who searched for a specific address.
There are few things as revealing as a person's search history, and police typically need a warrant on a known suspect to demand that sensitive information. But a recently unsealed court document found that investigators can request such data in reverse order by asking Google to disclose everyone who searched a keyword rather than for information on a known suspect.
In August, police arrested Michael Williams, an associate of singer and accused sex offender R. Kelly, for allegedly setting fire to a witness' car in Florida. Investigators linked Williams to the arson, as well as witness tampering, after sending a search warrant to Google that requested information on "users who had searched the address of the residence close in time to the arson."
https://www.cnet.com/news/google-is-giving-data-to-police-based-on-search-keywords-court-docs-show/