A husband and wife discovered that a simple search on Google using a few ordinary words could be enough to have your name flagged.
There are definitely certain terms you could type into Google that might get your IP address noticed, but I’m certainly not going to test it out just for an article!
Thankfully, one woman took that risk for me, revealing that by typing four specific words in sequence on a search engine, you’re almost guaranteed to have law enforcement at your door.
Now, you’re probably trying to guess what these words could be… but trust me, you probably won’t figure it out.
To narrow it down, it’s not anything sexual, nor is it related to children.
This incident unfolded on Long Island, New York, back in 2013, and the surprising response to Michele Catalano’s seemingly innocent search shocked her and her husband.
Catalano humorously recounted the experience on her blog, writing, “Googling certain things was creating a perfect storm of terrorism profiling.”
Her husband’s work laptop had been used for these searches just days apart, and, with the lingering tension in New York after events from a decade earlier, it raised alarms for his employer.
IT staff flagged the searches, and Suffolk County Police Department was notified of the suspicious activity linked to Catalano’s home address.
Soon after, a heavy police presence arrived at their home, looking for any signs of terrorist activity.
So, what exactly did they search?
As it turns out, these searches were spread over a few days – separate look-ups for “pressure cooker” and “backpacks” were enough to make someone uneasy, likely because it could suggest someone researching how to assemble an explosive device.
In other words, if you don’t want a surprise visit from the police, avoid searching for terms like “pressure cooker bomb” along with “backpack.”
There may have been some lingering tension between the employee and his former workplace, as Suffolk County Police released a statement following the raid.
The statement read: “Suffolk County Criminal Intelligence detectives received a tip from a Bay Shore-based computer company regarding suspicious searches made by a recently dismissed employee.”
While the searches ultimately turned out to be harmless — just Catalano’s husband researching a new pressure cooker and backpack — the experience left Catalano unsettled.
She shared on her blog, “I mostly felt a deep sense of anxiety. This is where we’re at now. There’s no expectation of privacy. Trying to learn how to cook some lentils could put you on a watch list.”
Well, now you know, stay safe Googling!