FBI Used Nintendo Switch To Locate Abducted Child [Update]
kotaku.com
A friend notified the authorities after seeing the missing girl sign on to her console to download a game

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

  • Into The Sky@lemmy.mlEnglish
    294·
    1 year ago

    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…)

    • Flaky@iusearchlinux.fyiEnglish
      67·
      1 year ago

      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.

    • grasib@lemmy.worldEnglish
      28·
      1 year ago

      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.

      • Quokka@quokk.auEnglish
        12·
        1 year ago

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

        • JDubbleu@lemmy.worldEnglish
          6·
          1 year ago

          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.

    • fmstrat@lemmy.nowsci.comEnglish
      9·
      1 year ago

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

    • Ghostface@lemmy.worldEnglish
      81·
      1 year ago

      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