Your Whereabouts Are Known at All Times
The U.S. Supreme Court is considering whether law enforcement use of geofencing warrants to obtain location data from tech companies violates the Fourth Amendment's protection against unreasonable searches. The case, Chatrie v. United States, centers on whether collecting location data from numerous devices near a crime scene constitutes an unconstitutional general search. The decision, expected in June, could set a precedent for privacy rights in the digital age.
- ▪The Supreme Court heard arguments in Chatrie v. United States, a case challenging the constitutionality of geofencing warrants.
- ▪Police used a geofence warrant to obtain location data from Google in connection with a 2019 bank robbery in Midlothian, Virginia.
- ▪The ACLU, Institute for Justice, and CATO Institute argue that geofencing warrants resemble the general warrants banned by the Fourth Amendment.
- ▪Chief Justice John Roberts raised concerns about the potential for government abuse of geofencing to identify attendees at churches or political organizations.
- ▪Google has phased out storing location data and will no longer comply with geofence warrants, though other companies like Flock Safety continue to provide location data to law enforcement.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Your Whereabouts Are Known at All Times Betsy McCaughey 9:00 AM | May 03, 2026 "Big Brother is watching you" is no longer a fictional admonition. Everywhere you go, your location is recorded by phone technology, license plate readers, Uber and Lyft transactions, and cameras. Advertisement googletag.cmd.push(function () { googletag.display("div-gpt-300x250_4"); //googletag.pubads().refresh([gptAdSlot["div-gpt-300x250_4"]]) }); Privacy? Forget about it. Your location history is in the hands of many tech companies. Can the police and other government agencies force tech companies to share that information about you? The U.S. Supreme Court took up that question on Monday. The court's decision could have widespread impact on your privacy.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at HotAir.
