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Minneapolis police tapped Google to identify George Floyd protesters

32 points by arkadiyt 6y ago

gowld 6y ago
Title is flamebait. The article says > Police in Minneapolis obtained a search warrant ordering Google to turn over sets of account data on vandals accused of sparking violence
- candiodari 6y ago
  Then we should also add "... and police accused anyone within the geographical region of the protests of being one of those vandals using violence ..." (which, because of how GPS works, is going to be X meter from the point where a crime was committed. Where X cannot be less than ~200m) The problem people have here is that these search warrants are not specific enough (for one thing, those are houses, people LIVE THERE) to stand by themselves, and people generally don't trust police or prosecutors to not use them as evidence.
Bostonian 6y ago
"Protesters" is so much of a euphemism that it's a lie. I want looters and arsonists identified, prosecuted, and if convicted, jailed. From the article: "The death of Floyd, a Black man killed by a white police officer in May 2020, prompted thousands to peacefully protest across the city. But violence soon erupted, which police say began with a masked man seen in a viral video using an umbrella to smash windows of an auto-parts store in south Minneapolis. The AutoZone store was the first among dozens of buildings across the city set on fire in the days following. The search warrant compelled Google to provide police with the account data on anyone who was “within the geographical region” of the AutoZone store when the violence began on May 27, two days after Floyd’s death. These so-called geofence warrants — or reverse-location warrants — are frequently directed at Google in large part because the search and advertising giant collects and stores vast databases of geolocation data on billions of account holders who have “location history” turned on."
- candiodari 6y ago
  Question: Do you think protests can work if there is zero chance of them turning violent? Because of course, protests that absolutely refuse to use violence are easy to ignore. I'm not saying it should be the first thing people do. Not the second thing either. But unless there is a real threat (ideally not before negotiations start) to people in power somewhere along the line, nothing will happen.
- amscanne 6y ago
  I’m not commenting on the practice generally, but the second quoted paragraph really makes it seem much broader than it may be. Later in the article, they show the geofence - which is literally the AutoZone walls plus 50 feet to the north and east - and clarify that the time period was 20 minutes, not a whole day.
- throwawaymanbot 6y ago
  Are you sure you’ve researched all that you are alleging? Coz if I remember the guy with the umbrella who smashed the windows was an agent provocateur and eventually identified as a cop or something?
torstenvl 6y ago
They used Google to search for an arsonist. The arsonist's motivations and politics are neither known nor of any relevance.
- wizzwizz4 6y ago
  They searched for the arsonist by geofencing everyone in the area, and requesting identifying information of each of them. Also: > The affidavit also links the suspect to a white supremacist group called the Aryan Cowboys, and to an incident weeks later where a Muslim woman was harassed. While the arsonist's politics are probably irrelevant, the police think they know them.
  - throwawaymanbot 6y ago
    It wouldn't be the first time, something like an Arsonist, (insert other crime here) was used... to get the ENTIRE area, (which they wouldnt be able to do unless in super special circumstances)... But considering the vast array of groups trying to sabotage America these days is it a bad thing? Not all of the cops support the far right.. (Especially since the capitol incident)
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
Helloworldboy 6y ago
Good, throw the book at them like the capitol protestors

32 points by arkadiyt 6y ago

Title is flamebait. The article says > Police in Minneapolis obtained a search warrant ordering Google to turn over sets of account data on vandals accused of sparking violence

candiodari 6y ago
Then we should also add "... and police accused anyone within the geographical region of the protests of being one of those vandals using violence ..." (which, because of how GPS works, is going to be X meter from the point where a crime was committed. Where X cannot be less than ~200m) The problem people have here is that these search warrants are not specific enough (for one thing, those are houses, people LIVE THERE) to stand by themselves, and people generally don't trust police or prosecutors to not use them as evidence.

Bostonian 6y ago

"Protesters" is so much of a euphemism that it's a lie. I want looters and arsonists identified, prosecuted, and if convicted, jailed. From the article: "The death of Floyd, a Black man killed by a white police officer in May 2020, prompted thousands to peacefully protest across the city. But violence soon erupted, which police say began with a masked man seen in a viral video using an umbrella to smash windows of an auto-parts store in south Minneapolis. The AutoZone store was the first among dozens of buildings across the city set on fire in the days following. The search warrant compelled Google to provide police with the account data on anyone who was “within the geographical region” of the AutoZone store when the violence began on May 27, two days after Floyd’s death. These so-called geofence warrants — or reverse-location warrants — are frequently directed at Google in large part because the search and advertising giant collects and stores vast databases of geolocation data on billions of account holders who have “location history” turned on."

candiodari 6y ago
Question: Do you think protests can work if there is zero chance of them turning violent? Because of course, protests that absolutely refuse to use violence are easy to ignore. I'm not saying it should be the first thing people do. Not the second thing either. But unless there is a real threat (ideally not before negotiations start) to people in power somewhere along the line, nothing will happen.
amscanne 6y ago
I’m not commenting on the practice generally, but the second quoted paragraph really makes it seem much broader than it may be. Later in the article, they show the geofence - which is literally the AutoZone walls plus 50 feet to the north and east - and clarify that the time period was 20 minutes, not a whole day.
throwawaymanbot 6y ago
Are you sure you’ve researched all that you are alleging? Coz if I remember the guy with the umbrella who smashed the windows was an agent provocateur and eventually identified as a cop or something?

torstenvl 6y ago

They used Google to search for an arsonist. The arsonist's motivations and politics are neither known nor of any relevance.

wizzwizz4 6y ago
They searched for the arsonist by geofencing everyone in the area, and requesting identifying information of each of them. Also: > The affidavit also links the suspect to a white supremacist group called the Aryan Cowboys, and to an incident weeks later where a Muslim woman was harassed. While the arsonist's politics are probably irrelevant, the police think they know them.
- throwawaymanbot 6y ago
  It wouldn't be the first time, something like an Arsonist, (insert other crime here) was used... to get the ENTIRE area, (which they wouldnt be able to do unless in super special circumstances)... But considering the vast array of groups trying to sabotage America these days is it a bad thing? Not all of the cops support the far right.. (Especially since the capitol incident)
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]

Helloworldboy 6y ago

Good, throw the book at them like the capitol protestors