Colorado Court OKs Use of Google Search Data in Murder Case
- Ruling is first test of legality of keyword search warrants
- Suspect had been found to Google the address 14 times
In 2020, police asked Google to provide information about people who searched for home address that went up in flames while they were investigating.
Photographer: Gabby Jones/BloombergThe Colorado Supreme Court ruled on Monday that evidence gleaned from a warrant for Google’s search data could be used in a murder case, sparking concerns the decision may encourage more police to embrace the controversial technique.
After a 2020 fire that killed five people in the Denver area, police were scrambling to identify suspects. They asked Alphabet Inc.’s Google to provide information about people who searched for the address of the house that went up in flames, using a novel approach known as a keyword search warrant. After some initial objections, Google shared data that enabled detectives to zero in on five accounts, leading to the arrest of three teens.