SCOTUS Limits Geofence Warrants Over Cell-Phone
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- The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Monday that people have "a reasonable expectation of privacy" in their cell-phone location data, limiting law enforcement's ability to use geofence warrants.
- Geofence warrants — the surveillance tool at the center of the ruling — allow authorities to obtain location data from cell phones within a defined geographic area.
Why it matters: The decision raises the constitutional bar for a surveillance technique law enforcement has increasingly used to identify suspects and witnesses near crime scenes, meaning agencies will need stronger justification before sweeping up location data from every phone in an area.
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