Anti-Terrorist Tasks Force Visits Home after Google Search: Backpack, Pressure Cookers

[PastTense]

“Of course, there is no way to verify why Catalano’s home was selected for a raid… But based on questions posed by the government agents to her husband… Catalano pieced together that a “confluence” of Internet searches — activity we now know to be tracked and hoarded on databases by the NSA — brought a SWAT team to her door.”

NSA at work? Writer says house raided after online browsing

[DataX]

I’ve searched for much, much worse on mine - many times over the years. I find it hard to believe they are doing 100 of these a week.

No way that story is true as is.

[MEBuckner]

I find it hard to believe a judge would consider a Google search for “pressure cookers” and a Google search for “backpacks” probable cause to issue a warrant for a search of someone’s home.

I find it even harder to believe that there are anti-terrorist SWAT teams conducting warrantless searches of people’s homes in the U.S. (even with the War on Terror and all the revelations about NSA snooping).

[Der_Trihs]

@MEBuckner

I find it hard to believe a judge would consider a Google search for “pressure cookers” and a Google search for “backpacks” probable cause to issue a warrant for a search of someone’s home.

I’ve always been under the impression that there are certain judges that the police go to by preference because they always give the OK on a search warrant. Just as there are labs for DNA tests and the like that the cops prefer because they always come back with a “positive” result.

[Wesley_Clark]

So SWAT teams are kicking in 100 doors a week based on internet search terms, and finding nothing virtually every time? How do the police get a judge to sign off on that? Do they even need a judge, or has some method of bypassing that been devised?

[MEBuckner]

@Der_Trihs

I’ve always been under the impression that there are certain judges that the police go to by preference because they always give the OK on a search warrant. Just as there are labs for DNA tests and the like that the cops prefer because they always come back with a “positive” result.

Any judge who actually issues a search warrant for someone’s home, based on a couple of Google searches for “pressure cookers” and for “backpacks”, should be impeached.

Now, if there were other evidence, those searches might be part of the basis for probable cause. But that alone can’t possibly constitute a reasonable basis for a search of someone’s home. If it does, we really would need to march on Washington with pitchforks and torches*.

I am not, and always will never be, a lawyer. Or your lawyer. But geeze.
*Oh no, now they’re gonna come and arrest me!

[MEBuckner]

There has apparently been a “clarification and update”

@Michele Catalano

We found out through the Suffolk Police Department that the searches involved also things my husband looked up at his old job.

Honestly, I’m still hard-pressed to think of what collection of Internet search terms would–by itself–be justification for a search warrant. I mean, given some of the questions we get in GQ around here, given people doing research for fiction-writing–including fanfics and other amateur writing–and people wondering if that thing they saw on 24 or in the latest summer action flick could really have happened. Surely there has got to be more to this story than this.

[Wesley_Clark]

Googling "Pressure Cooker... BOMBS?" At WORK? (UPDATED)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 1, 2013

As a result of numerous media inquiries, received today by the Suffolk County Police Department regarding an internet blog posting, the following statement has been made available.

Suffolk County Criminal Intelligence Detectives received a tip from a Bay Shore based computer company regarding suspicious computer searches conducted by a recently released employee. The former employee’s computer searches took place on this employee’s workplace computer. On that computer, the employee searched the terms “pressure cooker bombs” and “backpacks.”

After interviewing the company representatives, Suffolk County Police Detectives visited the subject’s home to ask about the suspicious internet searches. The incident was investigated by Suffolk County Police Department’s Criminal Intelligence Detectives and was determined to be non-criminal in nature.

Any further inquiries regarding this matter should be directed to the Suffolk County Police Department

Suffolk County Police Department

Public Information Office

(631) 852-6308

According to that his company was watching his internet use, tipped the police and the police came in.

However that still wouldn’t justify a SWAT raid. I’ve looked up terms like ‘pressure cooker bombs’ before, as well as other things of morbid curiosity. Endless millions of people have.

[DataX]

@Wesley_Clark

Googling "Pressure Cooker... BOMBS?" At WORK? (UPDATED)

According to that his company was watching his internet use, tipped the police and the police came in.

However that still wouldn’t justify a SWAT raid. I’ve looked up terms like ‘pressure cooker bombs’ before, as well as other things of morbid curiosity. Endless millions of people have.

Well it sounds like it wasn’t a swat raid, nor anything that would need a warrant.

The police are free to come to your house at any time to talk to you. You of course are free to tell them to take a hike.

[MEBuckner]

It’s also not clear if a search warrant was actually issued, or if the cops just showed up and asked. Anyone can knock on your door and ask to come in; that’s different from banging on the door and demanding (or just kicking the door in).

Of course there’s also a difference between a couple of uniformed cops showing up (or a couple of detectives showing up and flashing their badges/IDs) and asking, and a bunch of guys in SWAT gear showing up and “asking” to perform a “consensual” search.

[dropzone]

@MEBuckner

…given people doing research for fiction-writing…

I know far too much about getting kiddie porn and hiding it from the police. Needless to say, that computer is now a doorstop.

[wolfman]

@dropzone

I know far too much about getting kiddie porn and hiding it from the police. Needless to say, that computer is now a doorstop.

This computer too now I assume?

[dropzone]

Nah, I didn’t hide my trail so the NSA has known about me for years. I just left the impression that I lunched that computer with viruses for effect. I cleaned it up fine. But it’s a 450mHz PII that could only access 384mb. I play with antique computers for fun, but need something less obsolete to get stuff done. So it’s a doorstop.

[Colophon]

An alternative theory is that the woman had posted pictures of large firecrackers on her Facebook page: linky.

[kayaker]

@MEBuckner

There has apparently been a “clarification and update”

Honestly, I’m still hard-pressed to think of what collection of Internet search terms would–by itself–be justification for a search warrant. I mean, given some of the questions we get in GQ around here, given people doing research for fiction-writing–including fanfics and other amateur writing–and people wondering if that thing they saw on 24 or in the latest summer action flick could really have happened. Surely there has got to be more to this story than this.

I have searched some incredible combinations of terms, often just out of curiousity. I’m almost disappointed the FBI has never come a knocking.

[Ravenman]

There was no SWAT raid. The police asked if they could come in:

What happened was this: At about 9:00 am, my husband, who happened to be home yesterday, was sitting in the living room with our two dogs when he heard a couple of cars pull up outside. He looked out the window and saw three black SUVs in front of our house; two at the curb in front and one pulled up behind my husband’s Jeep in the driveway, as if to block him from leaving.

Six gentleman in casual clothes emerged from the vehicles and spread out as they walked toward the house, two toward the backyard on one side, two on the other side, two toward the front door.

A million things went through my husband’s head. None of which were right. He walked outside and the men greeted him by flashing badges. He could see they all had guns holstered in their waistbands.

“Are you [name redacted]?” one asked while glancing at a clipboard. He affirmed that was indeed him, and was asked if they could come in. Sure, he said.

Link.

[aceplace57]

Gosh forbid that some poor sap placed a pressure cooker and backpack in their Amazon.com shopping cart. :rolleyes: They’d get the package delivered by undercover agents.

[Dewey_Finn]

The truly shocking news: FBI agents don’t know what quinoa is.

[MEBuckner]

In addition to the whole thing apparently stemming from searches done from his work computer (everyone knows that your boss–or your company’s IT department–can monitor what you’re doing with your work computer, right?) which then led his former employers to tipping off the cops; and that it wasn’t actually a raid, just some guys showing up and being allowed by the homeowner to come in and ask a few questions; the reports are also that the searches specifically included the term “pressure cooker bomb” (not just “pressure cooker”). Granted, I’m sure a lot of people Googled (or Binged or whatever) “pressure cooker bomb” after the Boston marathon bombings.

Anyway, I’m glad that the U.S. has apparently not actually turned into a full-blown police state.

[Lord_Feldon]

@MEBuckner

Granted, I’m sure a lot of people Googled (or Binged or whatever) “pressure cooker bomb” after the Boston marathon bombings.

Even two of the officers did:

My husband, ever the oppositional kind, asked them if they themselves weren’t curious as to how a pressure cooker bomb works, if they ever looked it up. Two of them admitted they did.