US SC rules law enforcement needs warrant to search cellphone data
Washington, June 23 : The US Supreme Court has ruled that law enforcement in most cases has to obtain a warrant in order to search and seize long-term cell phone records that would show a person's location.
In a 5-4 ruling on Friday, the court held that the Fourth Amendment's protections against an unreasonable search protects people from having the government acquire their cell-site records from wireless providers in run-of-the-mill criminal investigations, reports The Hill magazine.
Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the court's four liberal justices, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, to make up the majority.
Justice Anthony Kennedy dissented along with conservative Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch.
The ruling marked a major win for privacy rights in the digital age.
The plaintiff in the case was Timothy Carpenter, who was arrested in April 2011 for several armed robberies in Detroit, reports Efe news.
Carpenter was sentenced to 116 years in prison, as he was considered to be the mastermind of a group of thieves and the person responsible for purchasing firearms for the group.
Prosecutors had asked Carpenter's wireless provider to hand over his cell phone records, which allowed them to follow his location during 127 days and determine that he was near the stores that were robbed.
The Supreme Court ruling, written by Chief Justice Roberts, sides with Carpenter and declines "to grant the state unrestricted access to a wireless carrier's database of physical location information".
According to the ruling, the government will generally need a warrant to obtain cell phone records, although some exceptions are possible, as when a suspect is on the run or is putting others in danger.
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IIM Graduate arrested in Noida for defrauding 20 women through premium matrimonial sites
Greater Noida: The Bisrakh Police have arrested Rahul Chaturvedi, an IIM graduate, for allegedly duping over 20 women across Delhi-NCR by luring them into romantic relationships through fake profiles on matrimonial websites. Chaturvedi, hailing from Lucknow's Sahara Building, posed as a high-ranking executive to gain the trust of his victims, swindling them out of money and valuable items.
Operating under false identities, Chaturvedi used matrimonial sites like Jeevansathi.com and Better Half, presenting himself as an HR Regional Manager at Wipro. He extorted expensive items, including iPhones and cash, by promising marriage to his victims. One woman filed a complaint after losing Rs 2 lakh and an iPhone to him, leading to his arrest.
During interrogation, Chaturvedi admitted to scamming at least 20 women, using forged salary slips to bolster his claims of affluence. The police are investigating further to identify additional victims.
Rahul Chaturvedi is passed out from IIM Bangalore. He has been a regional manager at Wipro company.
— زماں (@Delhiite_) September 24, 2024
Current business: Made a profile on a matrimonial site and befriended 17 women aged 35 years and duped them by promising marriage. 🤡🤡 pic.twitter.com/P10mQTxcB1 https://t.co/MdG6CGkXMQ
