23.08.2024 16:12:00
Дата публикации
Police geofence requests, also known as “reverse” search warrants, allow them to identify an area on a map, such as a crime scene, and require companies like Google to provide location data on all devices that were in that area at a given time.
Critics argue that the warrants are unconstitutional because they can be overly broad and include information about innocent people.
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals found that the warrants violated the Fourth Amendment’s protection against unreasonable searches and seizures.
But the court found that the police acted in good faith and did not overturn the conviction for the 2018 robbery they solved.
Advocates say the ruling "calls into question the constitutionality of any digital warrants for online content," and could lead to other cases in which the orders are challenged.
The ruling currently only covers three states — Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas — where such warrants are now illegal.
TechCrunch also notes that Google began storing users' location data on their devices late last year, making geofenced warrant requests less useful to law enforcement.
If other companies follow the tech giant's example, police will have to deal with the problem of having direct access to suspects' devices on the ground.
(the text is translated automatically)
Critics argue that the warrants are unconstitutional because they can be overly broad and include information about innocent people.
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals found that the warrants violated the Fourth Amendment’s protection against unreasonable searches and seizures.
But the court found that the police acted in good faith and did not overturn the conviction for the 2018 robbery they solved.
Advocates say the ruling "calls into question the constitutionality of any digital warrants for online content," and could lead to other cases in which the orders are challenged.
The ruling currently only covers three states — Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas — where such warrants are now illegal.
TechCrunch also notes that Google began storing users' location data on their devices late last year, making geofenced warrant requests less useful to law enforcement.
If other companies follow the tech giant's example, police will have to deal with the problem of having direct access to suspects' devices on the ground.
(the text is translated automatically)
