#fourth-amendment

All articles tagged with "fourth-amendment"

An eye with a camera lens instead of a pupil over a background of location pins.

Supreme Court Geofence Case Puts Smartphone Privacy on Trial

The US Supreme Court heard arguments in Chatrie v. United States, a case that could redefine how far police may go in demanding location data from technology companies.

Key Takeaways

The Supreme Court is weighing whether police use of a geofence warrant violated the Fourth Amendment.
Investigators asked Google for data on devices within 300 meters of a bank robbery scene in 2019.

DT Editorial Team·Apr 28, 2026·via theverge.com

FBI Director Admits Buying Location Data Without Warrants

FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed under oath at a Senate hearing that the agency purchases commercially available location data from data brokers, exploiting a legal loophole that bypasses the warrant requirement established by the Supreme Court.

Key Takeaways

FBI Director Kash Patel admitted under Senate oath that the agency buys location data from commercial data brokers without obtaining warrants
The practice exploits a legal loophole: while carriers require a warrant, third-party brokers do not under current precedent

DT Editorial Team·Mar 24, 2026·via futurism.com

Privacy Groups Demand California Remove Covert License Plate Readers Feeding Border Patrol Surveillance

More than two dozen advocacy organizations have called on Governor Gavin Newsom to investigate and dismantle a network of approximately 40 hidden license plate readers in Southern California that funnel driver data into a federal predictive intelligence program monitoring millions of Americans' travel patterns.

Key Takeaways

Coalition finds ~40 hidden plate readers in San Diego and Imperial counties
Border Patrol algorithm flags drivers based on travel patterns near the border

DT Editorial Team·Feb 12, 2026·4 min read·via fastcompany.com