Danny Porter: “A Report from the District Attorney’s Office”

Speaking at the October 12 meeting of the Rotary Club of Lawrenceville was Danny Porter, District Attorney for Gwinnett County.   Reflecting on cases he has handled over the years, he asserted that he had learned that he can’t say “I’ve seen it all.”  There are surprises all the time.  The most fascinating parts of his job currently are dealing with social media and utilizing the capabilities of Smart phones.  He said it’s amazing what some criminals decide is appropriate for a Facebook or Instagram picture.  With search warrants and court orders, his office can get lots of information starting with a site on social media.  70% of cases involve cell phones, social networks, or computers.  He raised questions about our reasonable expectations of privacy, recounting an example of his wife searching out the location of a thief by starting with his Instagram pictures and working through geo-tag, and Zillow to locate an address.  During the question period at the end of this talk, he voiced concerns about technological vulnerabilities and about sophisticated techniques used to push along drug money via games.