Google sues Las Vegas police over contested reverse-search warrant in homicide probe

Google has moved to dismiss a warrant from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department that demanded the company provide data on users who entered specific search terms, labeling the request an illegal general warrant. The filing, submitted to the Eighth Judicial District Court in Clark County, stems from a July homicide of a homeless woman, though most case details remain sealed. Google argues the reverse-search warrant is "facially invalid" and breaches constitutional protections, and notes that both LVMPD and the Henderson Police Department have issued similar orders in the past.

While Nevada lacks explicit statutes on such warrants, other states like Delaware have effectively banned them, and Pennsylvania's Supreme Court previously ruled that general search queries are not protected. The Electronic Frontier Foundation warned that these warrants allow broad, unchecked data sweeps, likening them to geofence warrants used in other investigations. The first court hearing is scheduled for late October, with LVMPD yet to comment on the challenge.