The Supreme Court on Friday put new restraints on law enforcement's access to the ever-increasing amount of private information about Americans available in the digital age.
In the specific case before the court, the justices ruled that authorities generally must obtain a warrant to gain access to cell-tower records that can provide a virtual timeline and map of a person's whereabouts.
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote the 5 to 4 decision, in which he was joined by the court's liberal members. Each of the dissenting conservatives wrote separate opinions.
(Score: 2) by Immerman on Saturday June 23 2018, @01:16PM
Oh, Alito makes sense, right up to the “If today’s decision encourages the public to think that this court can protect them from this looming threat to their privacy, the decision will mislead as well as disrupt.”
Anyone paying attention already knows the problem goes far beyond government monitoring - and "the public" can't be bothered to think about it. The only issue being settled is whether the government, with it's much more varied and insidious powers should *also* get effectively unrestricted access to that data.