This story from Durham’s Independent Weekly is an interesting look at the implications of posting personal information online. Apparently there was some sort of malfunction at her high school and users were unable to access their accounts. Fearing a hack, the system administrators contacted the local police. The local police sent two guys that were on their way to becoming FBI agents but who were still working as local law enforcement officers (though their business cards made it seem like they were indeed federal agents, and they were wearing jackets with the FBI emblem on them) to investigate the problem (which was, it seems, not a hack at all but a simple network malfunction). Enter a 17-year old junior who posts some comments regarding the incident on her weblog, which is then found by these folks and lands her in the principal’s office being questioned by these two cops/agents who have brought with them a printed copy of her weblog.
Personally I think such incidents are a complete waste of already-sparse law enforcement resources, but they are well within their rights to search publically available information sources for tips and clues and then use that information in an investigation. What makes this story interesting, for me at least, is the reaction of the high school student:
“I am sorry that I’ve had an online journal. I would highly recommend anyone to take down theirs.” Carter says that the main lesson she’s learned is that it’s time to retreat from posting personal information online. “I know that the government now has forever my extremely personal teenage diary,” Carter concluded. “Hell yes, I’m mad. I will no longer be posting in this diary.”
For me, this is where the logical disconnect occurs. You’re upset that someone is reading your “extremely person teenage diary” that you posted online?! While it may be surprising that the federal government or any other large agency has taken an interest in it, what exactly did you expect to happen when you posted it? Don’t you think that there are certain realities that you implicitly accept when publishing tidbits of your personal life online?
I’ve always understood that, thanks to wonderful tools like Google, everything I’ve ever written online will be available to interested parties pretty much forever. It’s why I try not to post about the specific actions of coworkers, friends or family, especially if such posting would put them in a negative light. Sure, the odds are that person will never find it, but what if they did? I still have to interact with these people, so I’m careful.
I started the story feeling bad for the girl because she was harassed by police for something she had no part in, and finished feeling bad for her because of the sheer amount of naivety she expressed.
Well as a member of a law enforcement agencies(Ontario county sherrif)I would definitely appreciate the 2 officers posing as G men coz if it had been a hacking then it would have fallen under the realms of Federal Department.As each year goes by our threat perception has considerably increased but nevertheless things do happen. But what starts as a small & simple event might end up to be something else.
For e.g Sep the 11th 2001
Furthermore people who post their private stuffs in websites or in uncensored chatrooms might be in for harrassment not only from the law enforcement but also from paediophiles & hackers.
The law has already declared hacking as a form of terrorism and any attempts will be dealt with
force.In 1999 when several us & canadian hackers hacked the database of a renowned adult magazine site & got away with thousands of credit card numbers of its members & not surprisingly enough one of the victime turned out to be a highly placed officer in NYPD who with his contacts traced down those hackers & they were arrested with a non bailable warrant. From that day hackers have been warned against any offense.
Soon afterwards in 2001 an american hacker cAnYrIce hacked a local bank database he became the first hacker to be in the FBI s top 5 most wanted.Ultimately he was tracked down & arrested by LAPD Swat team.
Left by Jack Shaw on October 12th, 2003
Kevin Mitnick was on the FBI’s 5 most wanted list long before 2001.
Left by Matt on October 13th, 2003
i hacked the gibson
Left by eli jordan of lilburn,GA on September 21st, 2004
What I find amusing about this fiasco is the lack of gibson references throughout the article, despite the title eluding to ample gibson hackage.
Furthermore, Eli and Judacris are not the only ones to hack the gibson. While it’s unknown to the public at large, the amount of gibson hackage that occurs in the west is nothing compared to that which is experienced on my home continent of Antarctica.
Left by Rick PeLowney on December 23rd, 2004