OK - I realize that most of us reading this blog are not hardened criminals (?) and have no intention of hurting anyone or "doing someone in"...but still there is scary eWeek Article about how the police used a man's Google search words as evidence against him in a first degree murder case.
This means you should be careful what you search for - even if you are just curious or fooling around. Who knows how this stuff can be used against you years in the future. Is this another instance of Bush spying on people? I understand wanting to be able to prosecute criminals - but, there are many things I search on that I wouldn't want brought up in court...mostly they are just random walking through the internet or following links referred by "weird and unusal web sites", etc. I've even borrowed the book "The Art of the Steal" from the library. Did I plan on creating a big scam or ripping off a bank and flying to Peru? Nope...just curious how others scammed the police and got away with it (and in some cases eventually caught). Is everyone who ever watched "Catch Me If You Can?" a suspect in a robbery case.
I find this all a bit unsettling. I'm sure if you grabbed the following information for ANYONE in the US, you can build a circumstantial case for something somewhere (as if lawyers needed more stuff to work on):
- Google searches
- Internet sites visited
- Library books borrowed
- EZPass records (automated toll booth tag)
- Credit card accounts
- Chat logs
- Wireless phone GPS coordinates
- etc.
I am starting to get the feeling that communist Russia was more lenient with respect to privacy as the US is currently...but, I don't know for a fact -- just a suspicion. And now, I assume my internet logs will be checked.... :-(