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College Student Finds GPS On Car, FBI Retrieves It

Posted by Soulskill on from the everybody-gets-one-in-the-tailpipe dept.

mngdih writes with this excerpt from Wired: "A California student got a visit from the FBI this week after he found a secret GPS tracking device on his car, and a friend posted photos of it online. The post prompted wide speculation about whether the device was real, whether the young Arab-American was being targeted in a terrorism investigation and what the authorities would do. It took just 48 hours to find out: The device was real, the student was being secretly tracked and the FBI wanted their expensive device back ... His discovery comes in the wake of a recent ruling by the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals saying it's legal for law enforcement to secretly place a tracking device on a suspect's car without getting a warrant, even if the car is parked in a private driveway. ... 'We have all the information we needed,' they told him. 'You don't need to call your lawyer. Don't worry, you're boring.'"

3 of 851 comments (clear)

  1. From the article by wiredog · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    he was planning a short business trip to Dubai in a few weeks... has two teenage brothers in Egypt whom he supports financially. ...

    Afifi's father, Aladdin Afifi, was a U.S. citizen and former president of the Muslim Community Association here, before his family moved to Egypt in 2003. Yasir Afifi returned to the U.S. alone in 2008, while his father and brothers stayed in Egypt, to further his education he said. He knows he's on a federal watchlist and is regularly taken aside at airports for secondary screening.

    Fits the profile of someone you want to keep an eye on pretty well, actually.

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  2. Re:What happens if you destroy it? by sa666_666 · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    We're here to recover the device you found on your vehicle. It's federal property. It's an expensive piece, and we need it right now...We.re going to make this much more difficult for you if you don't cooperate"

    Further proof that most people in law enforcement are egomaniacs on a power trip. They really do love to wield authority. I wonder, were they beaten up when they were young?

  3. Re:What happens if you destroy it? by Geek_Cop · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    They are usually from lower income backgrounds, with a chip on their shoulder. They love to look at gun magazines and porn, yet they are super religious. Cops take the low pay given to them because the job is fun and they don't normally have the intellectual capacity to do anything but be a cop. It is a tight knit group with much bravado. Don't forget they take every crime you commit, personally.