The Supreme Court has agreed to hear its first cell phone location data case.
At issue is whether police need a warrant based on probable cause before accessing cell phone location records from wireless carriers. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which is serving as co-counsel, argues that without a warrant, law enforcement is infringing on a defendant's Fourth Amendment right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure.
"Cell phone location records can reveal countless private details of our lives," ACLU Staff Attorney Nathan Freed Wessler said in a statement. "The time has come for the Supreme Court to make clear that the longstanding protections of the Fourth Amendment apply with undiminished force to these kinds of sensitive digital records."
The ACLU is representing Timothy Carpenter, who was convicted of robbery in Detroit, based in part on months' worth of phone location records the government obtained in 2011 without a probable cause warrant. The records covered 127 days, revealing 12,898 separate points of location data.
"Carpenter's call records reveal that over the course of four months, his phone was located in more than 200 separate cell tower sectors," the ACLU said. "These records provide a very detailed accounting of everywhere he went."
Related
- Your Email Is Never Going to Be SafeYour Email Is Never Going to Be Safe
Carpenter appealed his case to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled against him 2–1. Now the Supreme Court will address the topic.
The issue has come up time and again in the court; as the ACLU notes, the Supreme Court declined to hear a similar case in 2015.
Last year, the 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, ruled that law-enforcement officials do not need to obtain a warrant before tracking a person's location via wireless carriers. The court found that location data is already delivered to a third party—in this case, the carriers—and therefore doesn't require a warrant if data is readily accessible.
To succeed, Andy Rubin needs to appeal to more than pure gadget-lovers with his Essential phone.
An Israeli court has ordered a couple to pay $2,200 to a landlord who believed they'd rent his property due to their use of 'optimistic' emojis.
Ajit Pai proposed that the agency terminate a 2013 plan that sought to relax rules governing mobile communications on planes.
Apple, Microsoft and other tech corporations sign an amicus brief in support of Gavin Grimm's case.
If you enjoy listening to the news on the radio while you’re on your way to work, you can get a head start by having your Google Home tell you the news while you get ready in the morning. However, there are many news sources you can choose from, so here’s how to customize what you want to listen to.
Relax Supreme Court to Hear Cell Phone Location Case stories
In the US, most requests come from search warrants and other court orders, although some are made using secret "national security letters."
The Trump administration wants to expand electronic searches at the border. Congress wants to make sure Americans aren't swept up in those searches without a warrant.
Amazon is refusing to give authorities investigating a murder access to data from Alexa.
Far-fetched as it may sound, the plan started gathering steam after Tuesday night's surprising vote.
How Arkane Studios wrote and presented Prey's alternate history.
The internal Windows 10 builds that leaked last week ended up revealing a brand new edition of the OS Microsoft is planning for power users.
The Zero DS 6.5 electric motorcycle is ready for urban commuters
Becoming a millionaire requires changing your mindset and implement some changes.
Apple and Amazon are looking to become players in the flash storage industry.
As dubious as it may seem, getting paid to play video games is now a viable career option for elite players. Here's how and why esports is a booming business.
Starting a business doesn't have to be a long process anymore.
Promises gaming performance from a Kaby Lake Core i7 complemented by a GTX 1060 GPU in a tiny footprint.
The Morning After. Attacking Monday like:
AI-powered DexNet 2.0 robot picked up unfamiliar objects with a 99 percent success rate.
