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DoJ: Law Enforcement Can Impersonate People On Facebook
An anonymous reader sends news that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency impersonated a young woman on Facebook to communicate with suspected criminals, and the Department of Justice argued that they had the right to do so. The woman was charged with being part of a drug ring and sentenced to probation, after which a DEA agent set up a Facebook page in her name, uploaded images to it (including pictures of her son and niece), and used it without her consent. She recently sued the agent in federal district court, and the government argued that she "implicitly consented by granting access to the information stored in her cell phone and by consenting to the use of that information to aid in an ongoing criminal investigations [sic]." Facebook has now removed the account, and the DoJ is "reviewing" the case.
So this is exactly why Apple would encrypt their entire phone and did not leave a way for them to decrypt their own devices... so that they can avoid situations like this...
Just because a dude works for the DOJ... that doesn't give him the right to invade and abuse the person's privacy... regardless if he/she is a criminal or not... Just because he was authorized to view the contents of her phone, it doesn't mean he can freely use it out in the open any way he wants....
And it makes me laugh so hard that now the DOJ is saying they have the right to do it... that's just plain ignorant...
Exactly. This is textbook identity theft. Law enforcement does not obtain any rights to use someone's cell phone photos or identity outside of the actual prosecutorial process just because that person is being or was successfully prosecuted. The fact that the DOJ argues this is totally okay reflects how absurdly fucked up the US government is.
Better yet: Identity Theft.
Better yet: two counts of wire fraud and 11 violations of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, carrying a cumulative maximum penalty of $1 million in fines, 35 years in prison, asset forfeiture, restitution and supervised release.
I think the agent in question & his bosses all hanging themselves in their bedroom would be acceptable to me as well.