133.2 - Good news: Third Circuit applies tougher standards to GPS tracking

Good news: Third Circuit applies tougher standards to GPS tracking

We also have some good news on the privacy front.

Last year, in the case US v. Jones, the Supreme Court ruled that for police to attach a GPS device to a car is a "search" under the Fourth Amendment. But it left open whether it was the type of search that requires a warrant and probable cause or whether "reasonable suspicion" was sufficient.

Well, two weeks ago, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, in US v. Katzin, ruled that the more stringent requirement, the one for a warrant, is the one that applies, finding that such devices fly in the face of the protections afforded citizens by the Fourth Amendment.

I also want to note here that except for the latest revelations about NSA spying, privacy is something I haven't talked about in while. I hope to remedy that over the next weeks because it's a far broader issue than even the NSA can encompass.

Sources:
https://www.aclu.org/national-security-technology-and-liberty/federal-appeals-court-rules-warrant-required-gps-tracking
http://translogic.aolautos.com/2013/10/23/courts-uphold-ruling-that-warrantless-slap-on-gps-units-are-un/