Stay out of my trash, coppers!

In which she disagrees with the Supreme Court of Canada on the right for police to search through your garbage. For a lawyer's viewpoint, check out this site: http://www.privacylawyer.ca/blog/

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• trash
• garbage
• privacy
• Supreme
• Court
• of
• Canada
• SCOC
• law
• ruling
• decision
• police
• search
• Patrick
• private

[monicavm]

You can tell an extraordinary amount of stuff from what you put in the garbage. For that reason I have never put in the garbage what I wanted to keep private. I have never expected my garbage to be private. Every Sunday morning people drive around checking the garbage. And picking it up. My old washer found a new home this Saturday thanks to two guys in a pickup truck. I expected it. I don't expect anything that leaves my home to be private anymore. Never have. That would be naive.

[karflooie]

What do you do with it? Incinerate it? Flush it down the toilet? I consider all of my garbage, however trivial the information it reveals is, to be private, so I expect the courts to protect it as such.

People picking up items like furniture and appliances is slightly different. They're interested in the item, not what information that item conveys about you. Plus those items are not concealed in a bin or a bag.

And I noticed the "anymore." So you used to consider it private?

[ronmann606]

I know this is an old but I completely agree with you. This ruling is not just about police, its about anyone going through anyones garbage. Legally I can rummage through my neighbours' garbage and take whatever I want.

This came up because people always go through my garbage and I hear this is a common source for identity theft.

[Infamousdeed69]

I partially agree with you in that, I have a problem with people going through my trash.

However, once you place your garbage at the end of the street to be taken away, it is technically considered "discarded".

Once its 'discarded' you fold all rights to the ownership of the bags. It then becomes public property.

If it bothers you that much, get a bin with a lock. Garbage collection is really punctual so opening it the mourning of will not only keep people out, but animals too.

[ALFIEAJAPAN]

By the way, you're really cute.

[ALFIEAJAPAN]

Circle every classified ad or random ones; even if you don't ever use the classified ads, offer to collect other peoples' trash. Smear everything with elephant turd and let the nosy sonofabiches have fun.

[MqCorey]

Mixed response:

(1) Many cities ~require~ you to participate in garbage collection, so you would be compelled to deliver your trash in a way that allows the police access to it. This weighs against considering no expectation of privacy.

(2) You can get really good shredders that pretty much turn the document into dust. So, in that way, it is sort of a choice to use the cheapies to create strips. ...or to not dump your papers at a place that respects your privacy and decimates the papers.

[PianoComposition]

The things you say, they already did a long time ago.

And not only police look at your garbage, robbers do too. They'll rob you depend on what you throw out. If you throw out a plasma TV cardboard box outside, they'll for sure know your rich and probably have a thing to rob you.

[mglabreche]

I for one am fine with this for a number of reasons:

1- i have nothing to hide, so if it helps them catch bad guys, great!

2- since when is garbage (violating the planet) a "right" ? we should be consuming less and composting and recycling more.

3- given the high probability of contamination (and planting), they'll have a real hard time linking the "evidence" to you.

4- really, how often do you think cops are going to peruse your refuse anyway?

[monicavm]

Nah, just a slip. I remember the Arlo Guthrie song Alice's Restaurant and I know someone will find the name of the person who threw the garbage over the cliff. It shouldn't be that way, but it is. And anything I don't want in the trash goes into the BBQ. Sigh.