You might laugh but I am new to this and started writing my first book. It's crime/mystery. I need to find out about and research different crimes, ways of death, poisonings, drugs etc you get it. My question is can I do this without the police/internet provider knocking on my door thinking I'm plotting something other than my story? Thanks.
Yeah, I don't think the cops have time to knock on the door of every person searching for crazy stuff. You're not doing anything illegal. On the other hand, if you were accused of a crime later it might be dug up as evidence against you.
Yeah, don't worry about it. Most of us here are probably on watch lists due to our search histories, lol. Nobody's coming to get you. Researching stories, I've Googled some scary stuff, like how much of this particular medication would cause a fatal overdose, lots of questions about guns and cocaine, and my personal favorite so far: "At what temperature do human bones burn?" I haven't been picked up yet. You're safe.
Hahaha, yeah. I feel you. I have googled a lot of things like this, too. But I always hope that anyone will find my google docs and be like, 'oh. Yeah. Gravy was just using this info for a story. See chapter 7." Anyway, like I said above, the library and paper books are your best friends.
Well, probably the most "suspicious" topic I've researched online is how to build improvised explosive devices and I've even found detailed instructions without police ever showing up, so I think you'll be fine. Just don't try researching anything to do with child you-know-what. I was told by a cop friend that they'll slap cuffs on you for it even if you don't actually see anything because the search could potentially bring some up.
Thank you everyone, I will also try the library route but I'm not sure I'll get all my answers there.
If its that sensitive use a burner phone or a second hand laptop bought with cash and connected to public wifi... but in all honesty no one cares what you search for unless the content is actually illegal.. like say downloading the anarchists handbook (cookbook .. duh) or illegal pornography there's scads of information on the sort of thing you're talking about freely and legally available
Ah yes, The Anarchists... Handbook... (Can we even say its real name here?) Reminds me of my teenage years... I'm lucky I never tried any instructions, so no finger went missing. But I am lucky that I have survived being stupid so far.
A is for Arsenic: the poisons of Agatha Christie gives you a run down of poisons and drugs. especially tasteless and untraceable ones (just sayin')
it has its own wikipedia and everything, it cookbook not handbook i had a brain fart above... its perfectly legal to discuss the book but not the detail of its content... in fact its legal to own in the uk with a good reason... but i wouldn't want to depend on 'but officer I'm an author' as a defence against charges under the prevention of terrorism act turns out there is an anarchists handbook as well which you can buy on amazon but not in the UK you can google pretty much anything in regard to weapons drugs, explosives, poisons etc and find perfectly legal sources on them... although often authors make stuff up that sounds good but isnt completely true so that's also an option
funny story... i had the encyclopedia of firearms AND a book on medieval knives, daggers, and swords opened on my desk at work for research purposes. the security guard walks past me and stops and says "What in the world are you doing????" i said "research " and she just kinda lingered there, unsure of what to do or say... then she moved on. lmao! im pretty sure I freaked her out
FYI to all of those looking to do this kind of research in the public library (USA... I dont know about other countries) The Library Bill of Rights explains: All people, regardless of origin, age, background, or views, possess a right to privacy and confidentiality in their library use... The right to privacy includes the right to open inquiry without having the subject of one’s interest examined or scrutinized by others, in person or online. Confidentiality exists when a library is in possession of personally identifiable information about its users and keeps that information private on their behalf. Article III of the Code of Ethics of the American Library Association states that confidentiality extends to “information sought or received and resources consulted, borrowed, acquired or transmitted,” including, but not limited to, reference questions and interviews, circulation records, digital transactions and queries, as well as records regarding the use of library resources, services, programs, or facilities. In short... you can research freely. any interested party who wants your search history at the public library, or wants a record of what you checked out/were reading, will need a search warrant. librarians, by law, cant give out this information without one.
If your that worried about it, then tailor the searches to crimes using that method. It will look more like a true crime junkie.
Honestly, the people who are watching your internet traffic are not particularly interested in individual murders, but they're also thorough enough to figure out that you're writing a book before sending people in tactical onesies to kick your door down.
A few days ago I got flagged for doing research on what would happen if a concentrated lye solution was to be introduced in a human body cavity of a living person. Apparently that is against most research engines TOS.
Upvote just for mentioning Kathryn Harkup's book. I also own her books on that examine the (dubious) science portrayed in James Bond films and the ways that Shakespeare killed his characters (and if/how such things could, scientifically, happen -- e.g. could a person die of unbearable sadness?). Fascinating stuff. As for the question that started this thread -- sure, you can do all the research you like. For my last book, I did ultra-serious research on blacksmithing techniques and sword-fighting tactics in ancient Rome. (In particular, I wanted to know the effects that a Roman gladius would have on the human body). And I haven't been arrested yet. Just FYI: not all websites you'll come across are equally legit as sources, obviously. Wikipedia is legit enough, but I wouldn't trust it as my sole source. Quora is entertaining, but I wouldn't trust it unless the person writing the answer is an expert -- e.g. I'd trust a retired policeman to be an expert on police procedures and police pistol maintenance, but probably not flamethrowers.
That's about all it is. There's lots of trolls there, especially when it comes to political and religious topics.
Sure. But if your questions (as mine were) related to blacksmithing in ancient Rome, or sword-fighting techniques in medieval Iceland, then I think Quora can (more or less) be trusted, especially if the person writing the answer seems to know what he's saying. Right? After all, a troll could have no possible benefit from writing wrong answers there. Also, trolls can troll wikipedia (or any other online source) too.
The second someone posts info on Wikipedia, it's verified by multiple people and deleted if erroneous. It's been that way for years. It's pretty trustworthy. If you doubt the validity, the sources are available at a click. People should pay attention to those footnotes.
