Opinion ID: 2708545
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Computer & Internet Monitoring

Text: Special condition 3 requires Baker to “participate with the U.S. Probation Office’s Computer and Internet Monitoring Program” and “install filtering software on any computer [he] posseses or use[s] which will monitor/block access to adult rape[-]related sites and child pornography.” The government concedes that the filtering software provision should be vacated. Baker nevertheless challenges the entirety of condition 3 on the ground that there is not a sufficient nexus between Baker’s use of a computer and corresponding internet surfing, and the commission of a crime. Indeed, Baker was only convicted of a single count of failing to register as a sex offender, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2250(a). This is a conviction that in no way requires, or is facilitated through, the use of a computer. The government disagrees, focusing on the fact that Baker used a dating website to establish an online—and later, in-person—relationship with a woman living in another state. It contends that Baker’s move from Illinois was what precipitated Baker’s failure to register conviction and that this would not have occurred but for Baker’s use of the computer. It further contends that Baker’s use of an alias on the dating website demonstrates Baker had an ulterior motive when accessing the internet. With that backdrop, the government believes the Probation Office should be allowed to monitor Baker’s computer usage. The government’s argument is weak, as even the sentencing judge noted that the evidence supporting that condition was “barely enough.” Baker has to register as a sex offender wherever he goes. To agree with the government’s conten16 No. 13-1641 tion, we would have to assume for a moment that Baker could not have established a relationship with the woman through more traditional means. Only then would it be possible to say Baker’s use of the internet was what led to his move, assuming the move was essentially the cause of the violation. Here, it was Baker’s intent to live with the out-ofstate woman he was communicating with that ultimately led to the move. This could have occurred through any number of ways that did not involve a computer. Moreover, whatever the reason for Baker’s move from Illinois to Michigan, the move would not necessarily have led to a conviction for failing to register. It wasn’t simply the move that caused Baker to be in violation of the law. Rather, it was Baker’s conscious, intentional decision to flout his legal obligation to report for registration and update his address. If Baker had found employment through a website such as Linkedin or CareerBuilder, moved to Michigan or any other state, and failed to register there, Baker could have been convicted of the exact same offense at issue here. In that situation, it would be illogical to link Baker’s use of the computer to find a job with a subsequent conviction for failing to register. The same is true here. Nothing about Baker’s use of his computer or the internet was illegal. And the government has not tied Baker’s quest on the internet to find a dating partner to Baker’s prior affinity towards inappropriate sexual conduct or to any attempt to evade his registration obligations. The government even concedes in its brief that Baker accessed the website for a lawful purpose. Furthermore, one may not infer any improper motive from the simple fact Baker utilized a dating website. Their use is neither uncommon nor untoward. Baker may have No. 13-1641 17 used a pseudonym or alias on the website (“Rob Baker” instead of “Roy Baker”), which the government says lends support to a possible improper purpose. But a person might initially use a pseudonym on a dating website for any number of reasons, including initial privacy or the desire to hide one’s identity from acquaintances who also might be on the website. That is arguably no different than applying for a job anonymously or even through a recruiter. Baker told the woman that he was a sex offender (granted, he may have minimized the offense), and as previously stated, there is no evidence linking Baker’s use of the alias on the website with an intent to avoid his registration requirements. Thus, the fact Baker used a pseudonym on the website cannot be the sole rationale for the computer monitoring requirement. Without more, the imposition of condition 3 was an abuse of discretion.