User Tag List

+ Reply to Thread
Results 1 to 2 of 2

Thread: Feds Used A 'Reverse' Warrant To Try To Track Down Bank Robbers

  1. #1
    Points: 21,919, Level: 35
    Level completed: 98%, Points required for next Level: 31
    Overall activity: 0.1%
    Achievements:
    SocialTagger Second Class10000 Experience PointsVeteran
    Helena's Avatar Senior Member
    Karma
    2323
    Join Date
    Jul 2018
    Posts
    3,128
    Points
    21,919
    Level
    35
    Thanks Given
    3,286
    Thanked 2,314x in 1,399 Posts
    Mentioned
    39 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)

    Feds Used A 'Reverse' Warrant To Try To Track Down Bank Robbers

    https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20...isconsin.shtml

    Reverse warrants are the new tech-related toy law enforcement is experimenting with. Oddly, a lot of what's come to light so far originates in the Midwest, an area not exactly known for early adoption. Outside of the NYPD and feds confirming they use warrants to seek a list of possible suspects (rather than targeting any specific suspect), most reporting has covered deployments by law enforcement agencies in Minnesota.
    We can add Wisconsin to the list of areas where cops are working backwards to suspects by using the copious amount of GPS data hoovered up by Google and others. Russell Brandom of The Verge has more details:
    In November, agents served Google with a search warrant, asking for data that would identify any Google user who had been within 100 feet of the bank during a half-hour block of time around the robbery. They were looking for the two men who had gone into the bank, as well as the driver who dropped off and picked up the crew, and would potentially be caught up in the same dragnet. It was an aggressive technique, scooping up every Android phone in the area and trusting police to find the right suspects in the mess of resulting data. But the court found it entirely legal, and it was returned as executed shortly after. ...

    ...
    Right now, it's just another tool for law enforcement to use. But it's one that inverts the normal expectations of warrant procurement. Instead of targeting an individual or place, the warrants allow cops to search Google's data stores for information about anyone who wandered into a targeted area during a certain time period. This shouldn't be acceptable but there's no record of any court rejecting these broad demands for data about thousands of people no one suspects of committing crimes. Until a court steps up to shut these down, their use will continue to escalate. The problems already seen in limited use will escalate right along with them. That's bad news for cell phone users, which at this point is pretty much everybody.
    You are wrong about police.

  2. The Following User Says Thank You to Helena For This Useful Post:

    stjames1_53 (09-06-2019)

  3. #2
    Points: 138,419, Level: 89
    Level completed: 70%, Points required for next Level: 1,031
    Overall activity: 36.0%
    Achievements:
    Tagger First ClassSocial50000 Experience PointsVeteran
    stjames1_53's Avatar Senior Member
    Karma
    58251
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Posts
    50,630
    Points
    138,419
    Level
    89
    Thanks Given
    104,303
    Thanked 29,272x in 20,298 Posts
    Mentioned
    175 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    Quote Originally Posted by Helena View Post
    https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20...isconsin.shtml

    Reverse warrants are the new tech-related toy law enforcement is experimenting with. Oddly, a lot of what's come to light so far originates in the Midwest, an area not exactly known for early adoption. Outside of the NYPD and feds confirming they use warrants to seek a list of possible suspects (rather than targeting any specific suspect), most reporting has covered deployments by law enforcement agencies in Minnesota.
    We can add Wisconsin to the list of areas where cops are working backwards to suspects by using the copious amount of GPS data hoovered up by Google and others. Russell Brandom of The Verge has more details:
    In November, agents served Google with a search warrant, asking for data that would identify any Google user who had been within 100 feet of the bank during a half-hour block of time around the robbery. They were looking for the two men who had gone into the bank, as well as the driver who dropped off and picked up the crew, and would potentially be caught up in the same dragnet. It was an aggressive technique, scooping up every Android phone in the area and trusting police to find the right suspects in the mess of resulting data. But the court found it entirely legal, and it was returned as executed shortly after. ...

    ...
    Right now, it's just another tool for law enforcement to use. But it's one that inverts the normal expectations of warrant procurement. Instead of targeting an individual or place, the warrants allow cops to search Google's data stores for information about anyone who wandered into a targeted area during a certain time period. This shouldn't be acceptable but there's no record of any court rejecting these broad demands for data about thousands of people no one suspects of committing crimes. Until a court steps up to shut these down, their use will continue to escalate. The problems already seen in limited use will escalate right along with them. That's bad news for cell phone users, which at this point is pretty much everybody.
    I guess using stingray wasn't enough...........
    For waltky: http://quakes.globalincidentmap.com/
    "The Nation that makes a great distinction between its scholars and its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting done by fools."
    - Thucydides

    "Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote" B. Franklin
    Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum

  4. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to stjames1_53 For This Useful Post:

    Helena (09-06-2019),MMC (09-06-2019)

+ Reply to Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts