Pressure cooker/google search story DEBUNKED. Was based on employer tip, not google search

[geek tragedy]

http://techcrunch.com/2013/08/01/employer-tipped-off-police-in-pressure-cookerbackpack-gate-not-google/

Suffolk County Criminal Intelligence Detectives received a tip from a Bay Shore based computer company regarding suspicious computer searches conducted by a recently released employee. The former employee’s computer searches took place on this employee’s workplace computer. On that computer, the employee searched the terms “pressure cooker bombs” and “backpacks.”

After interviewing the company representatives, Suffolk County Police Detectives visited the subject’s home to ask about the suspicious internet searches. The incident was investigated by Suffolk County Police Department’s Criminal Intelligence Detectives and was determined to be non-criminal in nature.

Any further inquiries regarding this matter should be directed to the Suffolk County Police Department

[Cali_Democrat]

1. “A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.”

― Mark Twain

[freshwest]

54. +1

[Fumesucker]

2. Nice plausible deniability

A professional touch.

[Robb]

13. THEY GOT TO YOU, DIDN'T THEY?!?

[tridim]

3. Different day...

[geek tragedy]

4. Over at Daily Kos, they were calling for Obama to be impeached over this.

[KittyWampus]

46. This is STILL somehow Obama's fault.

[geek tragedy]

67. Yep, now it's Obama creating a culture of employers searching their own

hard drives.

[ProSense]

14. It's bad when people start to believe any bullshit posted on the Internet.

Worse is when people get pissed because others question the story.

[sufrommich]

15. It drives me crazy, the internet has done more

to advance conspiracy theory as fact than all other sources combined.

[tridim]

18. But, it also exposes liars at light speed.

[sufrommich]

19. True. nt

[burnodo]

5. Why would the Suffolk police be handling this?

Shouldn't they have turned this over to the FBI and/or Homeland security?

[geek tragedy]

6. The computer company contacted them. nt

[leftstreet]

7. There could be a history?

But the local police department that actually visited Catalano’s husband finally explained themselves, and it turns out the story is more about a dispute with the husband’s former employer than rampant secret police surveillance.

...

Catalano did not respond to repeated inquiries via e-mail and Twitter for this story, and her husband did not respond to a message sent through LinkedIn. But Catalano’s Twitter timeline indicates that her husband lost his job in May.
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2013/08/pressure-cooker/

Sounds like an employment dispute possibly

[geek tragedy]

10. I'm sure her husband appreciates her highlighting his employment difficulties

in order to promote herself in a dishonest fashion.

[liberalhistorian]

43. Indeed. It would be rather

interesting to be their marriage counselor, I would think.

[sagat]

8. Writer for Pajamas Media

That fact alone should have been a red flag that this story was bullshit, but then again nu-DU does love giving right-wing hacks the benefit of the doubt.

[sweetloukillbot]

40. First two things I saw when I pulled up her blog...

A fan-fiction story about John Kerry on Acid in Cambodia at Christmastime, and that she wrote for Pajamas Media. That told me all I needed to know about her credibility.

[FSogol]

9. Attention Everyone! Please move on to the next Outrage!

Thank you.

[TeeYiYi]

16. I would...

...but I'm out of popcorn.

TYY

[cthulu2016]

11. It's a fair cop.

[Rex]

12. Sounded fishy when they changed the story from the 'feds' to 'local cops'

nt.

[Robb]

17. And the original source tweets to clear things up:

[tridim]

20. Update

Clarification and update

We found out through the Suffolk Police Department that the searches involved also things my husband looked up at his old job. We were not made aware of this at the time of questioning and were led to believe it was solely from searches from within our house.

I did not lie or make it up. I wrote the piece with the information that was given. What was withheld from us obviously could not be a part of a story I wrote based on what happened yesterday.

The piece I wrote was the story as we knew it with the information we were told. None of it was fabricated. If you know me, you know I would never do that.

If it was misleading, just know that my intention was the truth. And that was what I knew as the truth until about ten minutes ago. That there were other circumstances involved was something we all were unaware of.

Thank you.

DERP She's just a typical Internet liar. Exposed forever now, she ruined her life.

[Robb]

21. It's the Right-Wing Non-Apology Apology. "If it was misleading ..."

Too funny.

[sufrommich]

22. Or her husband wasn't completely honest with her.

She wasn't there,he may have embellished.

[tridim]

25. No need to parse it, she's simply a liar. nt

[sweetloukillbot]

41. And I wonder how much she gets paid for the clicks her "story" generated

She just lit up the Internet for 8 hours with her BS. Everyone that ran with her blog post just raked in a shit load in ad revenues.

[geek tragedy]

65. That light was her dousing her reputation with gasoline and lighting a match. nt

[geek tragedy]

28. " The NSA put that porn on our computer, I swear!" nt

[JI7]

29. i wonder if she posts on DU

i get a feeling from some that they actually do wish the government was spying on them. it makes them feel special and their posting on DU to oppose it makes them feel like a hero fighting big govt.

[Number23]

35. That would be the same group of folks that have "hundreds" of people on ignore

and yet still feel the need to join in every thread so that they can "plonk" everyone in it but not before they've accused 2/3 of the participants of being "paid propagandists."

Their schtick has run so thin that even Skinner has had enough. http://www.democraticunderground.com/12592697
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1259&pid=2715

And considering the foolishness goes on around here on a daily basis, that's TRULY saying something.

[OilemFirchen]

39. The Gladys Kravitz Brigade

ABNER!!!

[KittyWampus]

48. little virtual witch hunts.

[tridim]

49. She's not a witch, just a liar. She exposed herself. nt

[KittyWampus]

51. No, I mean the way anyone not expressing enough outrage is subjected to bullying.

[jberryhill]

58. You are not upset enough about that

[geek tragedy]

66. Oppression Envy. nt

[Jenoch]

45. "...were led to believe it was solely from searches from within our house."

Bullshit. She mafe assumptions. She made a fool of herself and her husband.

[freshwest]

55. 'Yeah, right.'

[snooper2]

56. and her 15 minutes of fame were shortned to, 3

[BlueCheese]

23. Good to know.

It would have been terrifying if it had been as initially described.

[struggle4progress]

24. Damn! It's getting so you can't even google "pressure cooker bombs" at work

without some nosey somebody sticking their nosey nose into it and wondering why you're doing that instead of working!

[Robb]

27. I heard he lost his job at Al's Pressure Cooker & Fireworks Emporium.

Fucking Obama.

[randome]

26. There were so many things wrong with this 'story' from the start.

Yet there is a sizable cadre of DUers who will believe anything they read on the Internet.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Don't ever underestimate the long-term effects of a good night's sleep.[/center][/font][hr]

[msanthrope]

31. IMPEACH THE WITCH!!! IMPEACH THE WITCH!!!! Sorry--I just read too much DU. nt

[sufrommich]

32. Yes there was,and it's not just some DUers

who will believe it, it's like an infection that is spreading,I call it "but I read it on the internet" sickness.

[msanthrope]

30. Also--she had pictures of explosives on her Facebook---

Woman accuses Google of causing police visit, but fails to mention explosives photo

I'm not even going to link to the media points (starting mostly with "The Guardian&quot who promulgated this nonsense this morning.

A Long Island woman and her husband were visited by the cops asking if they had bomb-making equipment.

She goes public asserting that recent Google searches relating to "pressure cookers" and "backpacks" must have been to blame. This was a ridiculous accusation along multiple vectors, but media all over the place picked up the silly "Evil Google" meme.

Now it turns out that ... surprise ... she had recently posted a photo of a batch of M-66 explosives (big, red firecrackers) on her public Facebook page. Oops! Think maybe that had something to do with the cops' visit, when some random person saw the photo and got over-concerned?

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153008673760061&set=pb.500530060.-2207520000.1375381160.&type=3&theater

[HipChick]

33. That woman is stupid..

[Logical]

34. Firecrackers? Oh lord, she is a terrorist! n-t

[msanthrope]

36. The Boston Bombers used fireworks bought in New Hampshire for their bombs. nt

[randome]

37. Stop pointing out facts, damn you!

[hr][font color="blue"][center]Don't ever underestimate the long-term effects of a good night's sleep.[/center][/font][hr]

[msanthrope]

38. It's amazing ow many coincidences this Pajamas Media writer has managed

to amass in such a short time!!!

[Logical]

47. Yes, lets investigate any firework purchaser next 4th! LOL, unbelievable. n-t

[randome]

52. How about we stop employers from jumping to conclusions?

Seems to me things would have worked out better if the husband's employer had not been such a fearful meddler.

It seems to me that if you post something on Facebook, you should expect that at least some fearful meddlers will over-react. As happened in this case.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Don't ever underestimate the long-term effects of a good night's sleep.[/center][/font][hr]

[wandy]

59. What did they tell us to do.............

Oh I remember now.

If you see something say something!

[randome]

68. Too many buffoons believe that, unfortunately.

I'm sure the husband's former co-workers are shaking their heads at their employer now and wondering what kind of idiot they are working for.

Or maybe they already knew.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Don't ever underestimate the long-term effects of a good night's sleep.[/center][/font][hr]

[Logical]

44. And millions use fireworks yearly and kill no one. You want to start....

investigating every person with a firecracker picture on their web page? LOL, start with me.....

[KittyWampus]

50. Yeah, that's what the point was… OY VEY!

[msanthrope]

53. No--not investigate. Just not find it credible when a writer for Pajamas Media

just happens to have all these coincidences, and then claims something nefarious....I think this was a RW set up.

[geek tragedy]

64. No, and neither did the NSA here. nt

[PowerToThePeople]

42. Why do people use work computers for personal stuff?

You give up your constitutional rights when you are at work. With cell phone data connections, there is no need to ever get on the net at work for personal stuff.

[reformist2]

57. I wouldn't call that "debunked" exactly... it's still very big brotherish.

[Cali_Democrat]

60. LOL

Still hanging on, huh?

[tallahasseedem]

70. Don't worry...

they'll be back with another faux outrage soon!

[geek tragedy]

63. Yeah, Obama/NSA spooky cyber surveillance vs company looking at hard drive

of its own computers, just the same.

[TriplD]

61. The press release refered to in the OP doesn not exist on the Suffolk Co PD website

There are 3 releases listed for 8/1, none of them is this one.

http://apps.suffolkcountyny.gov/police/morepress.htm

[geek tragedy]

62. Sweet Jesus.

[pnwmom]

69. So? The networks reported on it. Did they make it up?

Last edited Fri Aug 2, 2013, 02:11 PM - Edit history (1)

Or The Guardian in the UK?

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/02/suffolk-county-home-search-tipoff

Late on Thursday, Suffolk County police said its investigation was in fact prompted by a tipoff, and not covert monitoring. "Suffolk County criminal intelligence detectives received a tip from a Bay Shore based computer company regarding suspicious computer searches conducted by a recently released employee," Suffolk County said in a statement.

[Scurrilous]

71. Boink.