Constitutional Law
Oct. 16, 2026
When everyone becomes a suspect: The constitutional danger of surveillance without suspicion
A San Jose ruling raises a constitutional question: When does public observation become comprehensive surveillance? Collecting everyone's movements first and searching later threatens meaningful limits on government power.
K. Chike Odiwe
Civil Rights Attorney
The Law Offices of Kenneth C. Odiwe, PC
2880 Zanker Road, Ste 203
San Jose , CA 95134
Fax: (669) 315-4431
The Constitution protects more than the secrets we keep behind closed doors. It protects our freedom to live ordinary lives without allowing the government to assemble a detailed account of our movements. Yet modern surveillance technology presents a troubling proposition: if the government can observe something in public, it can record, preserve, analyze and revisit that information without constitutional consequence. That proposition confuses the ability to observe someone with the autho...
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