Supreme Court restricts use of geofence warrants
8 hours ago
- #Fourth Amendment
- #Supreme Court
- #Geofence Warrants
- The Supreme Court limited police use of geofence warrants, which tap tech databases to find people near a crime scene.
- In a 6-3 ruling, Justice Elena Kagan stated geofencing violates the Fourth Amendment against unreasonable searches.
- A geofence warrant creates a virtual boundary where police can request user location data from companies like Google.
- The case involved a Virginia bank robbery where police used a geofence warrant to identify suspects via Google data.
- Google initially found 19 people but provided only three names, leading to one suspect's confession and conviction.
- Defense argued geofence searches let the government 'search first, suspect later,' potentially affecting millions.
- The government claimed location data isn't constitutionally protected if users voluntarily share it with companies.