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A power utility is reporting suspected pot growers to cops. EFF says that’s illegal.
(arstechnica.com)
this post was submitted on 23 Jul 2025
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Privacy
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Using more electricity than average? Get automatically raided!
Yeah sounds pretty fucked up to me.
not quite -- it's if you're using 3.5x more electricity than average. Still seems fucked up from my lemmy-eye view though.
Police raided my house because our electricity usage was 4x my neighbors.
They 'surveilled' my house and then got a search warrant which said they saw Metal Halide lights, which, in this pig's expert opinion are only used for growing Marijuana (they're used for literally everything that grows under the sun). Tinfoil on the window, which "is used in marijuana grow operations" and because I had a window AC unit "used in grow houses to cool the lights".
When they showed up despite not there obviously not being a grow operations, they destroyed my house, punched holes in the walls, unseated my toilets, pulled my grandfather's military burial flag out of it's case and unfolded it. Then left it on the ground, stepping on it as they searched. They also stole $125 in cash off of my desk.
They found a few saltwater tanks full of corals and 4 people with gaming PCs. There was no money to cover the damages, no apology, just 'well you guys are free to go' and then they left.
It doesn't matter to them if their flawed methods have false positives, they're protected from any liability personal or otherwise.
It's incredible you can't get any money for all the damages they cause...