Judge Rejects Seizure Of Student's Computer Over Suspicious Activity... Such As Using A Command Line

from the good-news dept

Back in April, we wrote about how a student at Boston College had his computer seized for supposedly sending a hoax email. The evidence used to allow the seizure was incredibly questionable, including (among a few other things) the fact that the student in question: "uses two different operating systems to hide his illegal activities. One is the regular B.C. operating system and the other is a black screen with white font which he uses prompt commands on." Yes, that damn command line prompt is a sign of suspicious activities. Luckily, a judge has now ruled the search and the seizure illegal, noting that there didn't seem to be any clear violation of the law, and that the reasons behind allowing the search did not establish probable cause. So, feel free to go back to using an operating system via a command line prompt in Massachussetts again. Apparently, you're no longer an automatic suspect for hacking.

Filed Under: boston college, command line, reasonable search

Use A Command Line At Boston College... Have Your Computer Equipment Confiscated

from the that-doesn't-seem-right dept

A bunch of folks have submitted various versions of a story in Boston, involving Boston College police being granted a warrant which they used to confiscate the computers of a student as part of an investigation over an email sent to a mailing list. The troubling part is that the warrant was given without any real reason. In fact, part of the warrant application focused on the scary fact that the student in question used a command line on his computer:

Mr. Calixte uses two different operating systems to hide his illegal activities. One is the regular B.C. operating system and the other is a black screen with white font which he uses prompt commands on.

There are other accusations in the filing, but reading through it, it seems clear that this is a pure fishing expedition by the police, rather than any real probable cause. Luckily, the EFF is now representing the student, pointing out how this appears to be a pretty significant violation of the student's rights.

Filed Under: boston college, command line, confiscated, warrant