Winter Woman
Well-Known Member
The Michigan State Police is reportedly searching drivers' cell phones, accessing contacts, pictures, texts, and even geo-location data, raising questions about privacy abuses in the digital age.
Civil liberties activist group ACLU accuses the MSP of extracting private information from peoples' phones, saying the police are violating the Fourth Amendment. The police are reportedly using specialized devices from Cellebrite to access people's phones during routine traffic stops with no probable cause or suspicion of wrongdoing.
The devices can even access some information that's password protected, according to reports.
The MSP says it will hand over information about its cell phone searches to the ACLU for an patently obstructionist $500,000 processing fee.
"Cell phones contain information that many people consider to be private, to be beyond the reach of law enforcement and other government actors," said Mark Fancher, ACLU attorney. "There is great potential for abuse here by a police officer or state trooper who may not be monitored or supervised on the street."
Detailed information about the user's friends, movements, activities, and political and religious views could be easily gleaned from trove of messages, photos and contacts in many peoples' smartphones.
But regulations on how and when law enforcement officials can collect such mobile data are arguably still fuzzy. Technology has far outpaced mobile and Internet privacy legislation. The Electronics Communication Privacy Act is 25 years old and doesn't cover Twitter, Facebook or iPhones.
Taking advantage of the confusion, some authorities simply assume privacy protections are minimal, as in Michigan. A recent California court case seems to give police the right to use data from an arrestee's cell phone against him in court without a warrant. The Department of Homeland Security also reportedly searches phones and laptops at airports with murky legal justification.
The new reality of mobile technology demands specific new privacy legislation to offer the same protections that are enshrined in the Constitution. Until those protections are enforced across the States, those who value their Fourth Amendment rights may wish to avoid Michigan.
Civil liberties activist group ACLU accuses the MSP of extracting private information from peoples' phones, saying the police are violating the Fourth Amendment. The police are reportedly using specialized devices from Cellebrite to access people's phones during routine traffic stops with no probable cause or suspicion of wrongdoing.
The devices can even access some information that's password protected, according to reports.
The MSP says it will hand over information about its cell phone searches to the ACLU for an patently obstructionist $500,000 processing fee.
"Cell phones contain information that many people consider to be private, to be beyond the reach of law enforcement and other government actors," said Mark Fancher, ACLU attorney. "There is great potential for abuse here by a police officer or state trooper who may not be monitored or supervised on the street."
Detailed information about the user's friends, movements, activities, and political and religious views could be easily gleaned from trove of messages, photos and contacts in many peoples' smartphones.
But regulations on how and when law enforcement officials can collect such mobile data are arguably still fuzzy. Technology has far outpaced mobile and Internet privacy legislation. The Electronics Communication Privacy Act is 25 years old and doesn't cover Twitter, Facebook or iPhones.
Taking advantage of the confusion, some authorities simply assume privacy protections are minimal, as in Michigan. A recent California court case seems to give police the right to use data from an arrestee's cell phone against him in court without a warrant. The Department of Homeland Security also reportedly searches phones and laptops at airports with murky legal justification.
The new reality of mobile technology demands specific new privacy legislation to offer the same protections that are enshrined in the Constitution. Until those protections are enforced across the States, those who value their Fourth Amendment rights may wish to avoid Michigan.
About 5yrs. ago a good friend was in his last days.He was an old KKK 
member from back in the early 50's.I ask him what was the biggest worry he had about today's Gov.He said back in his day's of hell raising,all they could do is tap your phone lines.
,and you are never safe.I learn to listen to the old people,they got alot to give!! Please try to do the same!!!
