Campus cops treat Ubuntu use as sign of criminality

[Matt Shields]

On Sat, Apr 18, 2009 at 9:42 AM, <jkinz-+hffLmS/kj4 at public.gmane.org> wrote:

> > On Sat, Apr 18, 2009 at 08:54:31AM -0400, David Kramer wrote:
> > Jerry Feldman wrote:
> > > BC has some issues being a Jesuit school surrounded by an upscale
> Jewish
> > > neighborhood :-)
> > >
> > > We'll see how this plays out, but I think there might be a bit more in
> > > this than a Linux console with a prompt.
> >
> > Whether the party is guilty or not, whether there's more to the story or
> > not, it doesn't change the fact that they confiscated EVERY ELECTRONIC
> > DEVICE he has, including his ipod, just on the suspicious nature of
> > running Linux.  I find that unacceptable, and posted about it on my blog.
> >
> >
> http://thekramers.net/wordpress/index.php/20090415/boston-college-police-think-using-linux-is-suspicious-behavior/
> >
> > If it turns out they had other evidence BEFORE doing this, then I will
> > back down, but until then I have a big problem with it.  The kid can no
> > longer do his school work, and will likely fail all his classes, whether
> > he is even charged with anything, let alone found guilty.  I smell law
> suit.
>
> I certainly agree that they have effectively crippled this person's
> life. It's becoming more and more clear today that the police can use
> their powers in a retaliatory manner, incompatible with the idea that a
> person is innocent until proven guilty.
>
> [  Side note:
> Tasers, originally approved to give officers a life saving alternative
> to deadly force, are often used that make it clear the police officer is
> using them because he does not like the attitude of the individual being
> tasered.
>
> Is this behavior a new trend or we just seeing it more often due to the
> proliferation of video cameras and cellphone cameras?
>
> With our increasing dependency on technology and its integration
> into our lifestyles, we, as individuals are becoming more and more
> vulnerable to denial of service attacks, even ones created by the
> agencies responsible for protecting society. What was once the realm of
> science fiction novels, pervasive societal control over individuals is
> becoming more and more a reality.
>
> The husband of a married couple in Dubai, was recently arrested in his
> apartment minutes after quitting his job. The reason for his arrest is
> that he had no income, and significant debt, which is illegal there
> unless you happen to be rich or a Dubai citizen. The husband is in jail
> and the wife is stranded, homeless in this land with a poor record on
> human right
> End Side Note: ]
>
> Part of the information about this BC student case is that the
> individual was already known to campus police for involvement in e-mail
> harassment of a faculty member to the point of affecting their health,
> and allegations that he was somehow involved in the use of, or the
> actual stealing of laptops. Again all that information is in the form
> of allegations. Nothing is proven. However I understand that the way
> the police work is that once someone becomes "known" to them, they will
> treat that individual more prejudiciously than the next individual.
>
> As to the fact that the police took all of the individual's electronic
> gadgets and paraphernalia, cellphone etc. that apparently is what
> the electronic forensic training advises them to do. Whether that is
> actually part of a valid investigation technique or simply a way to
> be nasty to the individual is another question. :-) it certainly true
> that in some cases it's just part of being nasty and in other cases the
> police need all the cables etc. because they don't have any themselves
> and in order to access the equipment they have to borrow from the
> alleged criminal. :-)
>
> The cellphone is certainly a special device. A computer in its own
> right, it's also the ultimate tracking cookie. Unless the student had a
> chance to wipe it before it was confiscated it contains a list of all
> his contact information, records of whom he has been speaking to and
> when, and may even contain incriminating files, pictures etc.
>
> Is the only alternative to all go live naked in the woods ? :-)
>
> (Note - i could only live naked in the woods if it included
> coffee and warm weather all the time.... :)
> oh, and broadband.
>
> Jeff
>
>
>
Also, his ipod touch is iteself a very useful computer.  I have one and it
has a ssh client (just like my blackberry) for times when I don't have my
laptop close and I need to log into a system to do some work.  I could see
why they would want to confiscate both, seeing how people are hacking
devices these days, anything that is connected to a network in some way is a
possible hacking tool

-matt
http://www.sysadminvalley.com
http://www.beantownhost.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/mattboston
Groucho Marx <http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/g/groucho_marx.html>
- "A child of five would understand this. Send someone to fetch a
child of
five."