4th Circuit rules that obtaining cell site location data requires a warrant

The split among appellate courts on the privacy of cell site location data raises the likelihood that the issue will need to be addressed by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Subpoena? Court order? Search warrant? How the government can get your data

After a full 11-judge en banc panel of the U.S Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit reversed a ruling made last June by a 3-judge panel of the same Court, deciding that government law enforcement…

11th Circuit court says no warrant needed for cell site location data

The decision cites multiple Supreme Court precedents holding that individuals cannot have a reasonable expectation of privacy for records (in this case, cell tower location data) owned and maintained by a third-party business.

Proposed amendments to ECPA would restrict disclosure of geolocation data

Legislation introduced last week for consideration by the Senate Judiciary Committee would update some of the provisions in the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 (ECPA) to extend legal protections on information collected and maintained by…

Supreme Court rules search of police officer’s text messages legal, opts not to try to resolve reasonable expectation of privacy issue

The U.S. Supreme Court handed down a unanimous ruling in Ontario v. Quon, reversing the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and finding that the City of Ontario (Calif.) Police Department (OPD) did not violate the 4th…

NSA loses a round on warrantless wiretapping in federal court

A federal district court judge in San Francisco who has presided over several cases against the National Security Agency (NSA) and its now-defunct warrantless wiretapping program appears to have finally been presented sufficient direct evidence of…

Next law up for revision may be ECPA

Citing the drastic changes in the technological landscape since the law was first passed, a coalition of tech industry heavyweights has launched an effort to persuade Congress to update or revise the Electronic Communications Privacy Act…