Police Are Using Cookies To Catch Criminals - Here's How

While "consenting to cookies" isn't as delicious as it might sound, it is a common part of life in the internet age. If you need a refresher, per the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), cookies allow websites to recognize individual users' devices when they visit, gathering information to customize the user experience. The information collected can also be a helpful tool for police to catch criminals. 

As an example of how cookies can solve crimes, a recent Forbes article shows how investigators were able to identify a suspect who had allegedly called in a bomb threat to the Hamilton County Courthouse in Cincinnati, Ohio. Fortunately, it was determined that the August 2025 phone call was a hoax, but after obtaining search warrants, police were able to use digital information to track down a suspect. According to search warrants from this case, which Forbes reviewed directly, investigators were able to establish a link between the call and an anonymous Gmail account.

Upon request from the search warrants, Google provided law enforcement with relevant information from the device's cookies, helping investigators determine that one iPhone had accessed both the anonymous Gmail account associated with the call and another Gmail account. This led police to a suspect, Don'tavius Conley, who has since been arrested and charged. He entered a plea of not guilty.

It's important to understand that law enforcement had to obtain warrants to justify accessing a user's private information. Generally, the U.S. Supreme Court has decided that search warrants must be obtained before searching through someone's digital devices. The fact that you're agreeing to allow a website to track you with cookies doesn't mean the company that collected your data has to hand over your information to the police whenever they ask for it.

On the other hand, stories like this highlight the way our devices and apps may be spying on us more often than we realize. If this concerns you, it's important to know how your information is gathered when you click that "Accept All" button, even when using Google Chrome's Incognito mode. And it's not just online searches either. You should also be aware of how to prevent Amazon tech and accessories from spying on you and know which AI is best from a privacy perspective. Hopefully, you have nothing to hide from law enforcement, but knowing that the police can identify someone using Google cookies is yet another reminder that privacy isn't necessarily a given in the digital world.