It's probably enough for the police to get a valid search warrant, and then they can do a properly documented search, which WOULD be admissible in court.
What the Geek Squad guys did, was certainly legal. Seeking out info on a crime so as to be able to claim reward money offered by law enforcement. And there is no 4th amendment clause preventing non-law-enforcement people from digging through somebody's computer files, even if ultimately they do turn over what they find to law-enforcement, and as long as they aren't actually hired on as law-enforcement officers (which would terminate their status of being non-law-enforcement). Digging through somebody's computer, in an attempt to claim REWARD MONEY does NOT terminate your status of being non-law-enforcement, as claiming reward money offered by law-enforcement is NOT the same as being a hired employee of law-enforcement.
FBI doesn't run CP websites. That would be illegal, as it would require possessing actual CP to put on those sites. Instead they are fake sites, who's contents are text or pictures that merely IMPLY that if you click the next link there will be real CP. Of course there's no CP when you click the next link. Instead it logs your IP address, and you get a knock on your door from the authorities. I've read about that tactic before. So no, the FBI is NOT running any actual child porn website.
Big difference between nude art (even if the subject is underage), and child porn. The courts have constantly ruled that nudity without a sexual element (like a lewd pose, or the genitals being the obvious main point of the photo) is not child porn. In fact, you can see nude photographic art of children in the Guggenheim art museum in New York City. https://www.guggenheim.org/artwork/artist/sally-mann
Maybe so, but that could easily be overturned in court by suggesting that it had been planted by the GeekSquad guy. This would put enough doubt in the minds of the jury that they would probably acquit. And then the investigation would turn to the GeekSquad guy, because if in fact he had planted it, then that means he knowingly had it in his possession, which makes him guilty of possession of CP. So the GeekSquad guy would end up serving hard time.
And the GeekSquad guys know this. That's why they never would do something so STUPID as planting CP on somebody's computer, no matter how greedy they were for that FBI reward money.
He could have just checked a couple images after recovery, as a spot check, to make sure that the recovery had completed successfully. It could be that just by chance one of the images he checked turned out to be CP.
I guess you never have heard of a reward before. Those Best Buy employees are not actual FBI employees. They were informed of a reward by the FBI. Any intentional digging around computers they did, wasn't ordered by the FBI, but rather was just the individuals trying to cash in on the reward offered by the FBI. Intentionally seeking out a criminal or information on a criminal, so as to be able to claim a reward, is called being a bounty hunter. It is 100% legal.
Look at the guy in the picture. He's wearing a hoodie. It's a clear sunny day, no rain. Just a few clouds near the horizon. A person doesn't wear a hood in good weather, unless they are trying to conceal their identity. This person's hoodie is suspicious. Their camera would not normally be suspicious at all, but with them wearing a hoodie on a sunny day that camera becomes very suspicious. When analyzing a situation, one must look at ALL the facts. Just as one shouldn't jump to the assumption that someone is a terrorist when there is a lack of evidence, one should not also dismiss the possibility that something bad is going on when there is a significant amount of evidence pointing to the idea that something bad IS going on. If I saw in real life, exactly what I saw in the picture shown above, I would dial 911 and report it, and then let the cops sort it out. If that guy was wearing a hoodie on a sunny day, but did not have a camera, I'd keep an eye on him, but not immediately call the police (unless and until I saw him do something that I felt deserved to be reported). If the guy just had a camera and was taking pictures, but was not wearing a hoodie, I'd not think it was even slightly suspicious.
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Re: 4th Amendment Violation?
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Re: Re: Actually this is legal.
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Re: So that's why.....
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Re: Disturbing
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Re: Dangerous Territory...
https://www.guggenheim.org/artwork/artist/sally-mann
On the post: The FBI Is Apparently Paying Geek Squad Members To Dig Around In Computers For Evidence Of Criminal Activity
Re:
And the GeekSquad guys know this. That's why they never would do something so STUPID as planting CP on somebody's computer, no matter how greedy they were for that FBI reward money.
On the post: The FBI Is Apparently Paying Geek Squad Members To Dig Around In Computers For Evidence Of Criminal Activity
Re: Re: Re:
On the post: The FBI Is Apparently Paying Geek Squad Members To Dig Around In Computers For Evidence Of Criminal Activity
Actually this is legal.
On the post: TSA Warns Against Evil Photographers Taking Pictures Of Planes
Here's how I'd look at it.
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