U.S. Law Enforcement Obtaining Warrants to Search Facebook Profiles.

U.S. Law Enforcement Obtaining Warrants to Search Facebook Profiles.

www.foxnews.com

NEW YORK – U.S. law-enforcement agencies are increasingly obtaining warrants to search Facebook, often gaining detailed access to users' accounts without their knowledge.

A Reuters review of the Westlaw legal database shows that since 2008, federal judges have authorized at least two dozen warrants to search individuals' Facebook accounts. Many of the warrants requested a laundry list of personal data such as messages, status updates, links to videos and photographs, calendars of future and past events, "Wall postings" and "rejected Friend requests."

Federal agencies seeking the

(visit the link for the full news article)

I didn't see this posted here yet, but I did think it was absolutely chilling to read about.

The implications? You know someone who has committed a crime, or even just a "friend" of someone you don't really know, and they are able to search your FB? Just because they find a link to you somewhere?

Wow.

Fortunately, I am probably one of the last people on earth who DOESN'T have a FB account. They can kiss my hairy white arse. Of course, I am a member of other more dated social networking sites, pre-FB era, so I do have to think to myself, hey, if they can get FB's records, what's to stop them from going after anyone with a court order?

What has happened to privacy?

Thoughts?

www.foxnews.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Nice find.

Here is my concern.

We know the USA was hijacked in 1913.

We allow corporations to be treated as individuals.

We are watching all of our rights be taken away, one at a time.

We only get upset when our Facebook is attacked or when iPad production halts.

This nation is doomed because our priorities are way out of line and our value system is corrupt.

Reboot. It is time for America 2.0.

Originally posted by zroth
Nice find.

Here is my concern.

We know the USA was hijacked in 1913.

We allow corporations to be treated as individuals.

We are watching all of our rights be taken away, one at a time.

We only get upset when our Facebook is attacked or when iPad production halts.

This nation is doomed because our priorities are way out of line and our value system is corrupt.

Reboot. It is time for America 2.0.

edit on 12-7-2011 by zroth because: (no reason given)

The above comment deserves to be:

posted with spaces between each sentence.

And posted TWICE!!!

I really hope some fat pig has hacked my facebook, because 95% of my facebook statuses are talking s*** on the government, videos of police brutality, and so on.

So, when does the revolution start? I'll be ready....whenever. This government and law enforcement system is out of control, we're going to wake up one day smack in the middle of Martial Law with posters of our dictator I mean president everywhere we look.

Mainstream media is already controlled, that's obvious. Politicians are as phony as ever, the two part system is clearly running this country into the ground. Law enforcement is also completely out of line, they get new technology and new legal authority every day.

So mainstream media is controlled, the source that the majority of Americans get their information from. Politics is a sham, except for a few honest Americans, so each election there's a good chance that it'll just be a puppet pushing an agenda. Law enforcement is also way too power hungry.

If mainstream media, the president, and law enforcement can't be trusted, then what the hell are we doing?

Originally posted by Druid42


Fortunately, I am probably one of the last people on earth who DOESN'T have a FB account. They can kiss my hairy white arse.

Even though you have no FB account, there is a 99% chance that someone on FB has posted a picture of you with your name tagged on it.....

Privacy is gone..... no such thing anymore.

Originally posted by flipflops

Originally posted by zroth
Nice find.

Here is my concern.

We know the USA was hijacked in 1913.

We allow corporations to be treated as individuals.

We are watching all of our rights be taken away, one at a time.

We only get upset when our Facebook is attacked or when iPad production halts.

This nation is doomed because our priorities are way out of line and our value system is corrupt.

Reboot. It is time for America 2.0.

edit on 12-7-2011 by zroth because: (no reason given)

I have to agree that's pretty much the crux of the problem. The American populace is too fat, dumb, and contented. It's not so much that we have short memories--as some people posit--but a complete apathy toward anything beyond our own small, narrow interests.

As an example: Lately I've been trying to explain to my boss the history and significance of "Project Gunrunner." He does remember hearing "something about that." It's not as if he knew about it and then forgot it. It's that it had no significance in his little world. His only comment is, "Huh. Yeah. Like always; government's just a buncha criminals."

But, to be fair: Right now he's trying to figure out how to use Twitter on his new Android phone because his wife insisted that it's important to his business. So he's got bigger things on his mind.

He's one of those people who, when he sees stormtroopers clearing the streets with truncheons, his attitude will be: "Well, so what? There are a lot of criminals on the streets. It's about time somebody did something. I don't care--I've got nothing to hide"....

reply to post by Druid42


I have the feeling the fine Americans behind Facebook are receiving favors or fees for their compliance. Reading the article it appears there are prepared packages readily available for Big Bro's use and abuse.

Privacy and FB have nothing in common. Still, I feel bad for younger and young-at-heart users who post comments and pics that may surely come back to haunt them. Days ago I read online about a company who archives FB & similar sites, storing away the data for future sale to parties willing to plunk down coin.

That company will have access to most everything one may have put on FB and later erased or deleted. All those fun posts about the fun things some do, archived forever.

So it looks like anyone who doesn't know how to veil themselves behind a slew of techno geek hide me know how is fair game for snoops, spooks and potential employers (etcetera).

These statements are opinion only, so for those looking to stomp on someones neck, keep looking. I don't come to ATS for abuse.

Ugh, delete my full post.9

I was trying to say under the right circumstances, reasonable suspicion, notification, only search the suspects(no friends) account and/or public info, and only being able to charge for the crime specified on the warrant(you can't get charged for telling someone about something like getting high when your account was searched to see for a confession of murder), it would be ok.

The way it's done now, not letting the person know their account was ever searched until evidence is presented against them, is wrong.

It's really hard to balance out personal privacy and making sure criminals can be proven guilty if they are. I'd be furious if someone read through all my personal conversations(nothing illegal, just often really personal, I only really talk to my girlfriend) under the guise of a crime I never committed. Still, it's not really different from inspecting a suspects house.

Also, if facebook held deleted data for 24 hours, and they gave the person 24 hour prior notice. They could look at the information specifically deleted, and most likely easily find the incriminating information there. Shady, but practical, and at least the person could know beforehand.

I also have a worry about unfair laws. Already current ones, and worse future potential ones, that they could use against you being so easily able to incriminate.

P.S. Hacking to plant evidence is also a very likely problem too.

Originally posted by LargeFries
reply to post by Druid42

 

I have the feeling the fine Americans behind Facebook are receiving favors or fees for their compliance.

It is no coincidence that Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg both found investors during their limited tenures at Harvard. Also, both provide infrastructure platforms that push forward the agenda of the men behind the curtain.

I'm actually surprised any of them bother to get a warrant.

I don't have a facebook, myspace, or any of that ego-stroking crappola. I'm sure like was mentioned above, that someone has posted and tagged pics of me, even though I asked them not to. I do what I can to keep some privacy though.

reply to post by Druid42


The requirement to obtain a search warant has not changed. The request for search warrants in order to ontain facebook information should be clear that the laws are still being followed to obtain private information.

Out of curiosity why would people have an issue with this?

Whoa wait a minute:

accounts without their knowledge.

They were not notified even after the fact etc? This is why I never post anything on Facebook really. I only have friends on there and I may thumbs up or down, none of the crazy things that people do.

Originally posted by zroth
Nice find.

Here is my concern.

We know the USA was hijacked in 1913.

We allow corporations to be treated as individuals.

We are watching all of our rights be taken away, one at a time.

We only get upset when our Facebook is attacked or when iPad production halts.

This nation is doomed because our priorities are way out of line and our value system is corrupt.

Reboot. It is time for America 2.0.

edit on 12-7-2011 by zroth because: (no reason given)

So true. As a nation we've lost touch with what's important in favor of greed. Maybe we should be rooting for China to surpass us, so that we can "reboot."

reply to post by Druid42


I have no idea why anyone would feel that their rights are infringed by the police looking at your Facebook. You essentially hold it out to the public.

Remember in the movie Batman, where he was able to use all of the cell phones for surveillance?

That is what Facebook is and will be for law enforcement... Even better when the face recognition systems are "officially" implemented... Law enforcement, especially federal agencies could not possibly wish for a better tool than this.

A virtual window into the lives of nearly everyone.... And some unknowns will be found by being identified in images uploaded by many millions of users.

Originally posted by Ryanp5555
reply to post by Druid42

 

I have no idea why anyone would feel that their rights are infringed by the police looking at your Facebook. You essentially hold it out to the public.

I don't think anyone's arguing against public material being reviewed. It's the private material being examined though. Private conversations, photos only to be shared with certain people, ect, along with the public. That's where the privacy comes in, and the need for the warrant. The stuff publicly put out for everyone, doesn't even need a warrant, and the only blame for getting caught with such info belongs to the person who shared it with the world in the first place.

Originally posted by Ryanp5555
reply to post by Druid42

 

I have no idea why anyone would feel that their rights are infringed by the police looking at your Facebook. You essentially hold it out to the public.

They are not my friends.

Facebook is for drama kings and queens. I hope the gov weeds them all out and eliminates them anyway.

Facebook is so annoying - its like all the gossip of high school - only ressurrected for users well out of college.

I hope facebook dies.

If you re in highschool, then have a blast pouring through pictures to find out that your peers are pretty much all doing the same mundne processes expected of your age group. But please leave that gossippy stuff behind as you enter your 20's. Thanks