Court Told Feds Should Get Warrants for Cell Phone Records

Oh, that quaint Fourth Amendment

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) will urge a federal appeals court Tuesday to recognize cell phone users' privacy rights and require that the government obtain a warrant before collecting cell phone location information. The oral argument is set for 9 a.m. on October 2nd in New Orleans.

At issue in Tuesday's hearing are government requests for judicial orders authorizing the disclosure of 60 days of location data from two separate cell phone companies as part of a routine law enforcement investigation. A magistrate judge denied the request, saying the government needed to apply for a search warrant supported by probable cause to obtain the information. The district court judge agreed with the magistrate's finding, and the government appealed the decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit.