FBI Used Nintendo Switch To Locate Abducted Child

Technology@lemmy.world – 179 points – 12 months ago

FBI Used Nintendo Switch To Locate Abducted Child [Update]

FBI Used Nintendo Switch To Locate Abducted Child::A friend notified the authorities after seeing the missing girl sign on to her console to download a game

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Does someone know HOW they did that? Did they just use the switch gaming account to ask her the location she was at?

I don't have a switch so i don't know what you can do by knowing the account name of someone (like sending DMs etc...)

According to the article, her friend saw her online and tipped the FBI off, and Nintendo provided them the IP address that last connected to the account.

Thanks!

It’s written in the article…

A friend saw that she was online and informed the authorities. With Nintendo’s cooperation, the FBI culled the Switch’s IP address, uncovered her location, and moved in to arrest Roberts.

Surprised Nintendo’s servers bothered to log the IP with how backwards they are in regards to anything online or storing user data.

Almost any server will have basic logging surrounding IP, especially considering it's one of the most useful bits of information to help identify malicious traffic, and can be used for a host of other things.

Likely just through Nintendo and then the ISP. IP address gives an exact physical address via that route.

Here is the thing in the US and isp's and companies. Any data that is collected and be subpoenaed.

This is one of the main reasons vpn companies do t keep access logs, because when they are subpoenaed the response would legally be, we don't have that data.

In cases like this most companies and admins if they have an abuse email or can validate over the phone in cases like these. Admins will hand over details