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Kid Busted for Computer Science Homework
April 14, 2009, 9:38 PM by ROB
Posted in SOCIAL | 207 views
Computer Science students beware! In today's society, "typing command prompts" just might get your possessions confiscated.
Let's set the scene. At Boston College, an email was sent to an email list alleging that a student at the University was gay. Officials promptly launched an investigation in which computer science student Riccardo Calixte became a suspect. The grounds for such accusations, it seems, were that he fixes laptops and uses Linux... Lame.
As a result, the investigating officer filed a search warrant application to seize the student's computer, flash drives, and any other media in his possession. The warrant was granted and now the student's personal property has been seized and the student himself has been suspended from his job pending the investigation.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation has responded with support of a motion for relief to quash the warrant and to return the student's property.
Honestly, how can simply using "command prompts" be sufficient to warrant search and seizure? Aren't citizens protected from such heinous abuses of our rights? Granted, the guy may have sent the email, but I highly doubt he did and any evidence gleaned from this investigation would likely be immediately thrown out if the matter were to go to court.
I find it deplorable that gross misunderstandings can yield such costly outcomes when it comes to errors in judgment.
» Via EFF Deeplinks Blog
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