COMMENTARY | On Jan. 23, the Associated Press reports that the United States Supreme Court ruled police will need a search warrant in order to use GPS tracking on a suspect. This Supreme Court case was the result of police using a GPS tracking device on the vehicle of Antoine Jones, who was sentenced to life in prison for drug conspiracy. Police found drugs and money in a house, which was linked to him using the device, but without a warrant. A federal appeals court overturned the decision, and the Supreme Court just affirmed the decision, but what does this mean for privacy? As an American concerned about my privacy, here is how the ruling still raises many questions, and offers little answers.
The ruling basically stated that the GPS tracking was part of illegal search and seizure, which is a clear violation of Fourth Amendment rights. I have a bigger issue with the fact that everything I do online is by some sort of GPS tracking, so how far can law enforcement go with other technological devices? The decision does not say that law enforcement needs a warrant to check a cell phone that has a GPS tracking feature, which means police might be able to track you without a warrant just by typing in your phone number. In the technology world we all live in, we are basically putting our information out there for all to see, without thinking of who might be looking at the information. Granted, most of us know that our information is out there for all to see and agree to that, it still should not be used against us without a warrant.
Law enforcement could use GPS tracking that is already installed in the car of a suspect by the manufacturer, and a warrant might not be required for that. The police could call the manufacturer of the GPS tracking device, such as On-Star, and get the company to track the suspect for them. It all comes back to the fact that just because we have the technology to track anyone we want, it does not mean we should, and it is a direct violation of the Constitution. GPS tracking is everywhere, including on computers, cell phones, and cars, so is this all fair game for law enforcement? The Supreme Court needs to get with the times and make it clear that warrantless GPS tracking of any kind, no matter what the device is, is unconstitutional. I worry that with the increase in technology, there will be more ways for the government to overstep boundaries, and our Constitutional rights will become non-existent.
Myself, Personal Opinion
Jesse H. Holland, Pete Yost, “Supreme Court rules: Warrant needed for GPS tracking”, MSNBC