A Minnesota judge recently signed a search warrant ordering Google, Inc. to hand over personal information on anyone who searched a specific name, a decision that could set an alarming precedent that would render the fourth amendment virtually ineffective with regard to online privacy.
According to the application for the warrant, filed by Detective David Lindland of the Edina Police Department, authorities are trying to locate an individual who used a fake passport to trick a credit union into transferring $28,000 out of an Edina man’s account. Police say the passport image showed up in a Google search but was not available on Yahoo or Bing. The warrant does not mention whether or not they searched Ask.com, DuckDuckGo, Ixquick, or any other of the many search engines available to the public.
The warrant, signed by Hennepin County Senior Judge Gary Larson, demands Google disclose any and all information on any person who searched the victim’s name from December 1st, 2016, to January 7th, 2017. According to the warrant:
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