Cell phone tracking ruled out, Justice Department spies foiled
By Leslie Poston
Privacy laws got what has become an all too rare boost recently when the Supreme Court thwarted the spy tactics of the Justice Department. The court ruled against the Justice Department’s desire to track you using your cell phone without probable cause or a warrant.
That’s right, people with iPhones and other phone with GPS locator systems can breath a little easier this week. Of course, there is no guarantee that the powers that be won’t turn to spying like they did with AT&T’s wiretapping snafu to get what they need outside the courts, but at least the average citizen can then go after them for breaking the law. Theoretically, anyway.
The courts ruled that the desire of the Justice Department to track you on your phone violated the Fourth Amendment, which protects us against unlawful search and seizure. don’t think you are completely save from prying eyes, however. There is a reason I keep the GPS locator program off off off on my phone.
Some malls are now tracking what stored you go into to make purchases using the GPS features on many phones. Private detectives can still find careless wayward husbands and wives via GPS if they were silly enough to have it on when they went into the Lazy Q motel. Your regular police department can still find cars using the increasingly popular GPS systems in them. Even some driver’s licenses have locator chips in them in the form of a digital id these days.
With all of the location based ways to track us, monitor and generally watch our every move, it’s not surprising that conspiracy theories are on the rise. It’s reassuring to know that the Supreme Court is trying to allow private citizens a last oasis of privacy, however; it may not be enough. The rest of the world will eventually be forced to accept what the digital generation already knows: there is no such thing as true privacy anymore, and we need to be prepared for the increasing invasion from governments and advertisers.
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