Google Search Convicts Hacker

An anonymous reader writes "Google search terms have helped convict a wireless hacker. The queries the hacker performed were introduced into evidence at court, where Matthew Schuster was charged with disrupting his former employer's wireless network and imitating other users' MAC addresses to obtain access. From the article: 'Court documents are ambiguous and don't reveal how the FBI discovered his search terms. That could have happened in one of three ways: an analysis of his browser's history and cache; an Alpha employee monitoring the company's wireless connection; or a subpoena to Google from the police for search terms tied to his Internet address or cookie. Google has confirmed that it can provide search terms if given an Internet address or Web cookie, but has steadfastly refused to say how often such requests arrive.'

Comments

Re: Wake up and smell the coffee!!! (Re:YRO?)

[heinousjay]

So it's not clear that Google had anything to do with this, and aside from the search terms, other evidence also pointed to his crimes. I'm pretty sure you've overreacted.

I'm not too surprised, though. A story like this (and realistically, the entire YRO section) is pretty much intended to rile the tin-foil hat crowd. Good thing for me that I'm entertained by it.

Re: Wake up and smell the coffee!!! (Re:YRO?)

[bberens]

That's like looking at a key eye witness who saw you stab Nicole Brown Simpson and saying "How do I know you weren't on LSD and just imagining me there?" Seriously, independent third party witnesses are key to the judicial process. Get over yourself. Google openly makes money on the fact that they keep track of your browsing habits in order to make their advertising revenue more beneficial to their paying customers. Google could plaster those records for everyone on the planet to see them and your rights still haven't been violated. If you don't like what Google or any other company does, don't use them. With Google it's especially easy to avoid. Being a techy, you could take it a step farther and route google.com to /dev/null.