Data Privacy
Sep. 5, 2024
Controversy over geofence searches - privacy issues and legal debates
The status of federal geofence searches, which use latitude and longitude coordinates to draw an imaginary boundary around a crime scene and identify cell phones within that area during a defined time window, is uncertain until the U.S. Supreme Court resolves the issue.
Imagine that a robbery occurs in a park at night. The police have no suspects: the robber was wearing a mask and left no obvious clues. However, the victim noticed the robber carried a cell phone. In such a situation, the police might seek a geofence search warrant.
A geofence search uses latitude and longitude coordinates to draw an imaginary boundary around a crime scene--a geographical fence--and then asks companies like Google to identify all ...
For only $95 a month (the price of 2 article purchases)
Receive unlimited article access and full access to our archives,
Daily Appellate Report, award winning columns, and our
Verdicts and Settlements.
Or
$795 for an entire year!
Or access this article for $45
(Purchase provides 7-day access to this article. Printing, posting or downloading is not allowed.)
Already a subscriber?
Sign In