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I don't see the problem. If I'm selling drugs out of my car and the police have the right to search it, then they have the right to search the paper notebook on
by lessnonymous 13y ago
I don't see the problem. If I'm selling drugs out of my car and the police have the right to search it, then they have the right to search the paper notebook on the seat next to me. If there's a phone number in there then they can do what they want with it under the law: which could include working out where I live from it.
To search my home they need a warrant. Which means they need probably cause.
How is a cell phone any different? The law shouldn't be about storage capacity! If it is, then you're saying that they can search the 48 page notebook on the passenger seat, but the 128 page is off limits. That's ludicrous.
Now under the 5th, he should have the right not to unlock it for the police. But they certainly have the right to seize it.
The headline seems to be sensationalist and trying to surf the Snowden saga for readers. It's not related.
Edit: I'm ignoring the sanity of prohibition laws, but just comparing this story to common sense.
- nickles 13y agoA cellphone serves as a digital container into one's life. As it is a connected device, the cellphone has access to potentially limitless information about a person since the data is not necessarily stored on the phone itself but rather on servers elsewhere. Finally, one typically does not have complete control over the data that resides on their phone (installing the Facebook application, for example, allows others to stream their content directly to your device). You're correct that this is unrelated to the NSA's surveillance programs. However, it does represent a threat to US citizens' constitutional protections.