John Henry Skillern is a registered sex offender that spent 19 years in prison for sexually assaulting a child and now, thanks to Google, is back behind bars. After Google found suspicious photos in Skillern's Gmail inbox they tipped off the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children who in turn notified Houston police.
Once the police had a warrant they were able to uncover more incriminating evidence and arrest him. “He was trying to get around getting caught, he was trying to keep it inside his email”, Detective David Nettles of the Houston Metro Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce told the news, “I can't see that information, I can't see that photo, but Google can.”
While there is no doubt that the world is a better place with Skillern behind bars, some may question the privacy implications (something Google has come under fire for in the past). As it stands, Skillern had left no trace of evidence anywhere else on the internet, and no organization was investigating him. The sole responsibility for his arrest falls on Google, who have been actively fighting online child sexual abuse since 2006.
The Google Mail terms of service make it clear that all emails are automatically analyzed and images scanned for suspicious material. Jacquelline Fuller, director of Google Giving, has gone on record saying,
In 2011, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s (NCMEC’s) Cybertipline Child Victim Identification Program reviewed 17.3 million images and videos of suspected child sexual abuse. …
Since 2008, we’ve used ‘hashing' technology to tag known child sexual abuse images, allowing us to identify duplicate images which may exist elsewhere. …
We’re in the business of making information widely available, but there’s certain ‘information' that should never be created or found. We can do a lot to ensure it’s not available online—and that when people try to share this disgusting content they are caught and prosecuted.
While in many states Google is required to report incidents of child sexual abuse and pornography, they are under no obligation to actively look for it. Are Google's vigilante tactics an example of the good technology can do, or are we headed towards an Orwellian nightmare where every aspect of our lives are under surveillance? Let us know what you think in the comments.
Source: Business Insider
It always comes down to this, if we can get privacy out of the way we can be very, very effective protecting the common good. And it’s a no-brainer when it comes to someone like this creepy guy, everyone can cheer his being snagged. But from him and nightmares like him the situations get grayer and grayer, until Google is scanning your mailbox and forwarding to the appropriate athorities the tax deduction you mentioned that you aren’t totally sure was allowed, the speeding law you broke because you just couldn’t be late to work again, the drug you tried this weekend because (you thought) it hurt no one and was nobody’s business, the political opinion you thought you emailed about privately but Google enabled to get back to your right or left wing employer and who let you go because they don’t like people who think like you. It sounds outlandish, but it also sounded outlandish until this that Google would be busting criminals by scanning their emails for their violations. Easy when it’s a child molester, but we only wish the rest of life were so black and white.
It is more of a trust issue, aren’t we trusting our elected and appointed political and civic authorities to do the right thing for us. The police, judicial system, governance etc. for instance are working for the community aren’t they? Granted that’s their job, but maybe we can trust Google to do the right thing (only report cases which are clearly black and white, like this sex offender) as well. If not, we can dump them in favor of other providers like Yahoo or any number of other smaller email providers.
I’m not happy at all about this. This is a very slippery slope. I don’t think anyone is going to argue about this guy, and it may be in Google’s T&C, but at what point does it cross the line? At some point or other, it’s going to cross everyone’s threshold of privacy expectation and I don’t want Google or the Govt. making that decision. There’s a reason why you need to get a court warrant for searches and this is exactly like an unauthorized search. In fact, I’m sure this guy’s lawyer is going to argue poisonous fruit and the whole thing might get tossed out in court. I hope it does and sets a precedent. It’s not like this is actually going to solve anything. Once it’s widely known that Google does this, these guys will simply use an alternative means of communication.
I truly applaud putting a sex offender behind bars (even under the jail is ok)…… But there is a concern with privacy. I’m quite certain a lot of people use email with the assumption it’s private and secure. I promise I would stand in line to dole out justice on this clown but I don’t believe anyone wants a big brother scenario. I’m truly torn on this one but until I figure it out, I couldn’t be happier that there’s one less scumbag walking around free!!!
Way to go Google, protecting our children is more important to me than protecting this known violator.
I have no problem whatsoever with what Google did. It was within the terms of using the program and clearly it is a case that prevented some future sexual abuse of children. Many thanks, Google, for your vigilance in this matter.
Until they come after you.
How much child porn are you hiding?
Not me, I just don’t like you psychopaths that everyone is automatically guilty of anything.
“Me thinks thou doth protest too much”
Troll? Can’t possible be dumb enough to use that quote when protesting?
Maybe you’ll feel more “secure” in a prison. That way you don’t have to be a man, or pretend to be one, and you won’t have to take care of yourself.
Good for Google!!! Being a champion for our children has no moral bounds.