Insider Trader Arrested After He Googled 'Insider Trading,' Authorities Allege

Spy Handler writes: Fei Yan, a research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and 31-year-old Chinese citizen, was arrested by federal authorities on Wednesday on insider trading charges. Mr. Yan used Google to search for phrases such as "how sec detect unusual trade" and "insider trading with international account." He also allegedly read an article titled "Want to Commit Insider Trading? Here's How Not to Do It," according to the U.S. attorney prosecuting the case. Further reading: Associated Press, CNBC, USA Today

Comments

Why did Google turn him in?

[drnb]

Why did Google report the searches to the SEC? Did he short their stock or something? ;-)

Re:No one gives a flying fuck about this

[Anonymous Coward]

> Answer the goddamn question instead of modding me down

Why not both?

> Why should I or anyone else give a fuck that this stupid shit got arrested?

Because it shows that searches can be snooped through, and during an investigation, are. Because standards about privacy and technology that start out being used against the worst criminals are then used against all criminals and then later against non-criminals, and we are in stage 2 of 3. It is a solid argument for a secure connection to a search engine, possibly through a VPN or other anonymizer. Because a search engine log is thought by most to be simply an interface to find something out, instead of an ironclad Log Of Your Intentions. Because it requires readers to think about this before doing things that are perfectly legal.

Re: So... he was charged with reading?

[hesiod]

I've also read quite a bit about nuclear and biological weapons...

If you read that and then promptly created some biological weapons, it definitely DOES prove intent.