Cell Phone Privacy

A federal appeals court has ruled that law enforcement can extract historic location data from telecommunications companies without a warrant. The information is not protected by the Fourth Amendment, ruled the court because consumers knowingly give up the data each time they make a call or send a text message. The case contrasts with a recent New Jersey Supreme Court ruling that requires police to get a warrant to obtain cell phone information that could be used to track an individual.

In Re Application of the US for Historical Cell Site Data.pdf