Only one person searched for this name daily for months before she died, then after she was killed but before we announced who the victim was, the searches stopped.
Ok HN user: Do you a) use the evidence b) don't use the evidence?
It depends. In this case, it might be considered a narrow search—likely allowable, but only if it can be determined in advance that only a couple of people searched for the name. If it were a celebrity, which would be a common search term, I don’t think that would or should be allowable.
Different scenario in the article:
> Unlike traditional search warrants that target a known suspect or location, keyword warrants work backward by identifying internet addresses where searches were made in a certain window of time for particular terms, such as a street address where a crime occurred or a phrase like “pipe bomb.”
This phrase would result in a very broad search, likely to sweep in thousands of 15 year old boys and video game nerds. Or followers of politics, due to the bomb scare on Jan 6.
In general, courts frown upon dragnet surveillance and overly broad searches. You can’t typically get a warrant for every house on a block just because a murder happened somewhere on the street. Same principle applies. Otherwise you will eventually end up with police knocking on the door of anyone who has done a search related to drugs, firearms, criminality in general, etc.
Makes sense to me.
(fake) Scenario:
Murdered: Jenny Waldorf
Only one person searched for this name daily for months before she died, then after she was killed but before we announced who the victim was, the searches stopped.
Ok HN user: Do you a) use the evidence b) don't use the evidence?
It depends. In this case, it might be considered a narrow search—likely allowable, but only if it can be determined in advance that only a couple of people searched for the name. If it were a celebrity, which would be a common search term, I don’t think that would or should be allowable.
Different scenario in the article:
> Unlike traditional search warrants that target a known suspect or location, keyword warrants work backward by identifying internet addresses where searches were made in a certain window of time for particular terms, such as a street address where a crime occurred or a phrase like “pipe bomb.”
This phrase would result in a very broad search, likely to sweep in thousands of 15 year old boys and video game nerds. Or followers of politics, due to the bomb scare on Jan 6.
In general, courts frown upon dragnet surveillance and overly broad searches. You can’t typically get a warrant for every house on a block just because a murder happened somewhere on the street. Same principle applies. Otherwise you will eventually end up with police knocking on the door of anyone who has done a search related to drugs, firearms, criminality in general, etc.