“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 said. “I can’t see that information, I can’t see that photo, but Google can.”
MORE: Meet Bleep, BitTorrent’s anti-NSA/spying chat and messaging app for Windows
Due to Google’s participation in the case, the police were able to obtain a search warrant. That’s how they discovered more evidence of child pornography on Skillern’s phone and tablet, including text messages, emails, and at least one video.
This incident will likely spark a debate about privacy and confidentiality on the Internet. Google’s commitment to combating child pornography on the Internet is well known. The company even released a statement regarding its position on the matter and the role it plays in combating the existence of child porn.
Though the post doesn’t specifically mention that Google scans people’s Gmail accounts for unsavory and/or illegal content, it’s probably safe to say that Google’s and Gmail’s Terms of Service don’t protect people who use the company’s products and services to commit such crimes.
