Michele Catalano once searched up two words that earned her a visit from the police. Although this story was originally released by the professional freelance writer over ten years ago, it appears to be gaining some traction once more.
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The story goes that Catalano and her partner were simply wishing to purchase some items, including a backpack and a pressure cooker. Her husband was performing these searches on his work computer, however. He'd recently quit his job, and the Googling of "backpack" and "pressure cooker" didn't sit well with the IT department.
His queries were sent to the authorities who then visited the couple one Wednesday. Three black SUVs pulled up outside their property and the officers entered her house. The post originally said that it was the FBI who raided her home. Upon contact and some confirmations, it was updated that it was the Suffolk County police.
These key terms were a sensitive subject to the police due to the Boston Marathon bombings that happened that same year on April 15, 2013. Two terrorist individuals planted two homemade pressure cooker bombs near the finish line. Three died to the explosions and many others were injured.
So it's no wonder the term "pressure cooker" and "backpack" were flagged.
Is This Story Legit?
Lots of scrutiny has circulated this event. Many people don't believe this story occurred, although Catalano defended herself against the naysayers.
The original article has since been taken down. The Atlantic has preserved the story and provided further investigation, however.
There have been conflicting reports on who exactly knocked on Catalano's door that day. The Guardian reported that an FBI spokesperson said that she was visited by the "Nassau County police department ... working in conjunction with Suffolk County police department."
However, Detective Garcia of the Nassau County Police said otherwise. He allegedly told The Atlantic over the phone that they were "not involved in any way." FBI spokesperson Peter Donald further confirmed to the outlet that the FBI wasn't involved.
The outlet also reported that he "could not answer whether or not the agency provided information that led to the visit, as he didn't know."
Whether or not the raid happened, the story brings up lots of questions about user security online. These days, almost everyone has accepted that their data is being harvested online, although it was a bigger deal back then.
