…but was it such a bad thing in this specific situation?

Normally I would be up in arms over this. I’m the kind of guy who uses a VPN (what is that?) on their regular Internet connection from their desktop PC, uses TrueCrypt, has GnuPG installed, uses Eraser, and I use OTR encryption in my IM chats.

You can also find posts here where I try to inform random readers about why it’s important to protect their privacy online. Obviously, I’m not the kind of person who supports a warrantless seizure of property.

In this specific situation…? I don’t know…

This is not a situation where the FBI came in and forced the library to give up the computers. I suppose they could have threatened the guy and now he’s playing nice to the reporters, but I’m not sure that I want to go that conspiratorial.

Quote:

“The library’s procedure for such requests usually requires a court order, however after the agent described the case and the situation, he was persuaded to give them access, Batson said.

“They had an awful lot of information,” he said, but he was not allowed to discuss specifics.

“It was a decision I made on my experience and the information given to me,” he said.”

I’m back and forth. What would I do if I found myself in this situation? I would strong arm them at first. There’s no way that I would let them. Yet, I’m also a human being who would want to save someone’s life or help find an abducted child or something else of the sort.

Would I be able to live with myself if I stopped that from happening?
Would I even believe the FBI if they came to me with such a story?

It’s kind of doubtful that I would believe such a story.

From what this man says in the article, apparently the FBI seemed to have some real good information. What a terrible situation to find oneself in. Do you believe the information, or do you conclude that if they actually had information that good in the first place then they should have been able to get a warrant? If that’s your conclusion, then how do you wrestle with the fact that perhaps there is a real chance that they could catch the bastage, but they don’t have a day or three to get the warrant and they need to act Now?

How does one make such a moral decision? Which decision would I make? Which would YOU make?

Let’s assume the same situation that’s in this article. It’s a library. Now, obviously we don’t know specifics about this situation in particular, but we have to assume that it’s a terrible situation.

Which way would you choose?

I think, for me, it would come down to their information, the situation at hand, and their attitude toward me during previous similar situations. I’m not inclined to give them what they want, but I’m not heartless either.

This would not be an easy decision.

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