FBI really doesn’t want anyone to know about “stingray” use by local cops

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1. One bright spot - SCOTUS says "stingray" needs warrants

Supreme Court vans warrantless cellphone searches; updates privacy laws for the 21st century

www.washingtontimes.com ^ | Updated: 10:37 a.m. on Wednesday, June 25, 2014 | By Stephen Dinan
Posted on Wed Jun 25 10:59:26 2014 by Red Badger

The Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that police cannot go snooping through people’s cell phones without a warrant, in a unanimous decision that amounts to a major statement in favor of privacy rights.

Police agencies had argued that searching through the data on cell phones was no different than asking someone to turn out his pockets, but the justices rejected that, saying a cell phone is more fundamental.

The ruling amounts to a 21st century update to legal understanding of privacy rights.

“The fact that technology now allows an individual to carry such information in his hand does not make the information any less worthy of the protection for which the Founders fought,” Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote for the unanimous court.

“Our answer to the question of what police must do before searching a cell phone seized incident to an arrest is accordingly simple— get a warrant.”

Justices even said police cannot check a cellphone’s call log, saying even those contain more information that just phone numbers, and so perusing them is a violation of privacy that can only be justified with a warrant.

(Excerpt) Read more at http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jun/25/supreme-court-bans-warrantless-cell-phone-searches/

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