Judge rules probable cause of criminal activity needed to get cell location data
by Donald Melanson 
posted Sep 12th 2008 at 8:29PM
A federal district court judge in western Pennsylvania made what could possibly wind up being a precedent setting ruling this week, with him stating that the government must obtain a warrant based on probable cause of criminal activity before asking a carrier to provide cellphone location data. The ruling specifically addressed historical cellphone tower location data, which the government had argued was no different than routine transactional records (like past credit card transactions), and therefore should not require probable cause. While the EFF and ACLU are both praising the ruling, it looks like it's not quite settled just yet, with a Justice department spokesperson saying that the government is still "considering options" on an appeal.
[Via Mobile Burn]
[Via Mobile Burn]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
ez @ Sep 12th 2008 11:25PM
i saw this in crime 360 on a&e, the detectives can retrieve the cell tower location of the calls right from their station.
that they may need a warrant to admit in court is another thing, they have access to everything don't let them fool you.