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Federal court rules geofence warrants are unconstitutional:
In another round of increasingly rare good news in the realm of privacy, individual rights and freedom, two separate US federal judges have found geofence warrants to be unconstitutional.
Geofence warrants have been around for some time now. Essentially, it's a new investigative technique wherein law enforcement, rather than surveilling a suspect to discover if they had been at the scene of a crime, they work backwards by identifying everyone that's been at a particular location and surveilling them until they discover which one of them is a possible suspect.
[...] US courts have recently begun accepting that our smartphones hold so much data about us that they should be protected by the fourth amendment, as an extension of our homes.
Three separate unsealed opinions from two federal magistrate judges have come to the same conclusion: that these warrants lack the probable cause and particularity requirements of the fourth amendment.
[...] It's disturbing to think of just how many Americans' constitutional rights would have been violated if the warrant was granted. Even more disturbing is other such warrants possibly getting granted regularly, aside from what information Google willingly hands over to governments.
(Score: 2) by legont on Friday September 04 2020, @04:20PM
I generally agree with you except one but perhaps the most important point. I don't believe any more that individual actions can change anything at this point. I believe there will be blood. Civil war in worst case. The best case scenario is shock therapy Pinochet style. I make my plans according to this beliefs.
I already escaped one of those once less that two months before it happened and I hope to make it again. One might say that this experience affects my judgement, that I am too pessimistic and it's not that bad. I really really hope so. I pray every day that I am wrong, but I prepare for what I think will happen.
What's really sad is that since I am old and therefore is not expected to make more but have to live on savings, Pinochet is my best friend from pure economic point of vew. I am sure many others see it this way. I't so so morally wrong, but that' the reality.
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.