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Search warrants are typically used to build evidence against a suspect who has already been identified and not the other way around, but that hasn’t stopped a judge from signing off on a request by Edina police for what could be the personal information of thousands. Investigators are working a case where someone managed to steal money from a credit union using a forged passport containing a photo of the account holder. It was determined that this image came from a Google search, so the police are asking for the records of anyone who searched for the victims’ names.
…the warrant pertains to anyone who searched variations of the resident’s name on Google from Dec. 1 through Jan. 7. In addition to basic contact information for people targeted by the warrant, Google is being asked to provide Edina police with their Social Security numbers, account and payment information, and IP (internet protocol) and MAC (media access control) addresses. A spokesperson for Google, which received the warrant, said Friday: “We will continue to object to this overreaching request for user data, and if needed, will fight it in court. We always push back when we receive excessively broad requests for data about our users.”
…the warrant pertains to anyone who searched variations of the resident’s name on Google from Dec. 1 through Jan. 7. In addition to basic contact information for people targeted by the warrant, Google is being asked to provide Edina police with their Social Security numbers, account and payment information, and IP (internet protocol) and MAC (media access control) addresses. A spokesperson for Google, which received the warrant, said Friday: “We will continue to object to this overreaching request for user data, and if needed, will fight it in court. We always push back when we receive excessively broad requests for data about our users.”