Couple get armed police visit for googling "pressure cookers"

[Madame_Lawliet]

OP's information is false
http://techcrunch.com/2013/08/01/employer-tipped-off-police-in-pressure-cookerbackpack-gate-not-google/

It was not the NSA or Google, it was a former employer who tipped off police.

OP should really update the thread's description.

 

[Caiphus]

OP's information is false
http://techcrunch.com/2013/08/01/employer-tipped-off-police-in-pressure-cookerbackpack-gate-not-google/

It was not the NSA or Google, it was a former employer who tipped off police.

OP should really update the thread's description.

OP is Canadian. There is a good chance that he is asleep, or making sweet love to today's lucky love conquest.

But yes, wild speculation turns out to be false. More at 11.

 

[Fox12]

I don't usually get angry over stuff like this, but this just too damn stupid.

Terrorism, even if attacks like 9/11 happened once a year, is NOT A MAJOR FUCKING THREAT TO LIFE IN THE US!!! Our responses to 9/11 killed more Americans--needlessly--than 9/11. Cigarettes, cars, drunk driving, and cholesterol kill more people than 9/11. Insufficient medical care due to ridiculous healthcare costs kills more people than 9/11. People with guns kill more people than 9/11. I'd bet more innocent people have been shot to death by police in this country than have been killed by terrorist attacks here in the last few years.

Why is it that people are absolutely willing to throw their freedom away for fear of terrorism, but make such a big stink about "fascism" when we try to reform our health care system, or promote gun control, or try to encourage healthier diets in our children? None of that even resembles totalitarian bullshit like our anti-terrorism measures do!

What the fuck is wrong with us?

I know, most people aren't even aware that the government [material censored].

 

[RJ 17]

This seems to be a bit of a non-story...seeing as how his google searches weren't actively monitored. According to the story someone saw what he was googling at work and called the cops on him.

 

[MCerberus]

I'd like to point out that the pressure cooker bomb is a relevant issue in current event... he was kind of ratted out for being informed? And this is another case of someone yelling "TERRORISM! EVERYTHING IS TERRORISM" and sicking the cops on some poor guy (as seen in the recent LoL player terrorism threat case).

There is only one politician I know of that has a badass name and desire for internet privacy that we can possibly pin our hopes on now: Carlos Danger.

 

[Saltyk]

Thing is... Im kinda curious about "pressure cooker bombs". Is that an actual explosive device? or what happens if one miss-uses a pressure cooker?

As I understand it, the bombs used at the Boston Marathon were made from Pressure cookers, or some of them at any rate. I think they were effectively like Pipe Bombs, though. Using things like ball bearings and nails to do damage to people and things.

So, yes, one can use a pressure cooker as an explosive device. And it's probably on people's minds due to recent events. Not sure if they are more effective than other devices one could use, but I would imagine so.

 

[Gromril]

Yeah, apparently they did this in the UK to a guardian newspaper after her husband googled backpacks and preassure cookers, and she googled boston bombings and things relating to them. You know, because she workrks at a news paper.

The story is still up on the guardian site somewhere for those interested.

Which is worying, because it does show that, yes, the goverment is watching. And that they wont hessitate to send armed men to your home if you ask the wrong questions on the internet.

 

[Mobax]

This is actually some orwellian terror style shit here.
For your reading pleasure:

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2013/08/government-knocking-doors-because-google-searches/67864/

It's making me actually afraid to be online. I'm not American, but who knows? My government is probably doing it too.

Theres nothing they can do about it

I might have some fun with this and type in something like "how to covert to islam" (not that islamic people are terrorists but i can imagine the government flagging this) and search for fertiliser on ebay. They cant do anything about it because no laws have been broken. I may just be trying to gain a better knowledge of islam and i may also have a small vegtable patch that i need fertiliser for

Although if they were to search your internet history, and were to read this post of yours, they could consider that evidence that you are deliberately trying to waste their time, and that could result in a misdemeanor charge or even obstruction of justice. Obviously it won't happen, but just saying

 

[Cecilo]

Yeah, apparently they did this in the UK to a guardian newspaper after her husband googled backpacks and preassure cookers, and she googled boston bombings and things relating to them. You know, because she workrks at a news paper.

The story is still up on the guardian site somewhere for those interested.

Which is worying, because it does show that, yes, the goverment is watching. And that they wont hessitate to send armed men to your home if you ask the wrong questions on the internet.

Except they aren't. Read the article. His employer tipped the police (Not the feds) Off. The Government is spying on us yes, but no in this particular instance.

 

[Wickatricka]

Wow this is fucked up what the hell but really come on do you think that they can surveillance 500 million people and be open about it? Haha I don't really think they can.

 

[Lazy Kitty]

Really?
Maybe it's time they stop with faking they're a free country and a democracy and just admit they're a dictatorship police state.

 

[Xaio30]

Way to go, Escapist.
The article clearly states he searched for "pressure cooker bombs".

No wonder they'd be suspicious.

 

[rob_simple]

I'm loving how many people here immediately tried to jump on the 'Police State' bandwagon without even bothering to look into the story more, ask questions, or wait for all the facts to come to light.

I guess it's easier to get outraged when you make up your own patchwork quilt of events.

 

[Single Shot]

It's making me actually to be online. I'm not American, but who knows? My government is probably doing it too.

Donno where you live, but I hear the Brits put the NSA to shame. Shame, I tell you.

Nah, the Brit's are just as watched online as Americans. It is the same network watching both countries after all.

 

[Amir Kondori]

A lot of people here are willing to take this woman at her work. She has nothing to back this up with. We don't know if those google searches had anything to do with the local police showing up at her house or not, she doesn't know either unless she has some proof of some kind.

I would be a little more incredulous if I were you.

 

[BarbaricGoose]

He actually was just looking up pressure cookers. The police automatically assumed that he was making a bomb because he looked up backpacks in the same day. Got of to love the iq of our government. But then again if they could grow up a little maybe we would be in a better country.

No. The article states he was looking up "Pressure cooker bombs." Not "Pressure cooker," but specifically "Pressure cooker bombs." He also searched "Backpacks."

Suffolk County Criminal Intelligence Detectives received a tip from a Bay Shore based computer company regarding suspicious computer searches conducted by a recently released employee. The former employee?s computer searches took place on this employee?s workplace computer. On that computer, the employee searched the terms "pressure cooker bombs" and "backpacks."

He did this at work, which he was apparently "Released" from. Honestly, it's not as bad as people are making it out to be. It is somewhat unsettling that, based on such little evidence, they brought so many armed officers; but hey, I guess you shouldn't Google "Pressure cooker bombs" at work!

If you just fired (I'm GUESSING he was fired--don't know) an employee, and in their search history you find "Pressure cooker bombs," you'd probably alert the authorities too.

 

[James Crook]

Gentlemen, looks like we're back to the US... the USSR.
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No, really, the fucker just got fired and looks up "pressure cooker bombs" on his last day at work. There's no subtility needed about handling that, folks.

 

[Meatspinner]

At first, I felt bad for the Americans that have to live in conditions looking more and more like communism. But then I remembered the citizens are exactly the ones paying the taxes and voting so having them pay for their own hubris makes a twisted kind of sense.

You can't really put the blame on them when the only have a giant douche and a turd sandwich to choose from

 

[PoolCleaningRobot]

Nope, there's no way that's the whole story.



Whelp.

Come ON, guys. I know being cynical is cool, but police actually do have brains. They try not to waste their time on truly insignificant stuff, they're too busy. They have people whose main job is police-call prioritization. Source: Family in the police force.

Yup. I read the op and I'm like "now where's the full story so this actually makes sense". And scrolled passed the conspiracy theorists until I got to evilneko's update post.

Now I can totally say I would have done the same thing as the employer. I'd rather apologize for wasting a former employee's time than show up to work and find an L. L. Bean book bag filled with shrapnel and a pressure cooker

 

[cthulhuspawn82]

I have said this in similar threads before, but things like this are the reason I don't oppose the crazies that like to shoot at federal agents. The less of them there are, the less there is to harass us for stuff like this.