The two agents in the case, Daniel Alfin and Laura Schwartzenberger, were killed in an exchange of gunfire during an attempt to arrest 55-year-old David Lee Huber, a suspect in a child pornography case. Huber also died in the incident, which means it isn’t clear who the FBI is attempting to locate.
Three people are dead over illegal images. Perhaps David Lee Huber believed that the possibility of dying in a shootout outweighed the punishment he would have received if he was convicted for collecting specific patterns of bits.
I'm not saying creation of child pornography should be legal, or even possession. But perhaps possession, without any involvement in production or distribution, should be downgraded to misdemeanor rather a life sentence on the sex offender list.
Fascinating. On what possible grounds can this help an investigation? The collateral damage for this would have to be huge if it became normalised and routine.
First instinct is they have reason to believe an accomplice of the suspect viewed the article immediately after the incident and they are trying to find the accomplice.
Strong encryption and privacy is not an "alternative to the justice system" in the same way that allowing people to leave their homes without tracking collars isn't.