alexpgp | You there! Stop drinking and step away from the Pierian Spring!

A Boston College computer science student's computers, cell phone, iPod, and other property were seized by the BC ~~Keystone Kops~~ Campus Police as part of an investigation in which there is no indication of any crime having been committed.

If that wasn't enough, according to the EFF Deeplinks Blog, the investigating officer argued that "the computer expertise of the student itself supported a finding of probable cause to seize the student's property," for what amounts to a fishing expedition.

Among the student's other "suspicious activity" was having two operating systems on his computer and the ability to use "prompt commands" (using the language of the warrant application).

As a Linux user who knows how to deal with the command line and use email, I guess this means I should not raise too high a profile in Beantown, should the opportunity arise to go there. If nothing else, the BC campus would be a no-tread zone.

At the very least, from now on, Boston College investigators ought to start working in groups of three, where one of the trio can read, the other can write, and the third can keep an eye on the two intellectuals.

Cheers...