Supreme Court Limits Geofence Warrants

The United States — Supreme Court of the United States has issued a landmark 6-3 ruling, significantly limiting the use of 'geofence warrants' by law enforcement. The decision, stemming from the case of bank robber Okello Chatrie, held that constitutional privacy protections under the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution apply to cellphone users' location history, even when voluntarily opted into services like Alphabet Inc.'s location history. Justice Elena Kagan, writing for the majority, stated that individuals do not forfeit privacy expectations by using ordinary cellphone functions. The court rejected the argument that sharing data with third parties like Alphabet Inc. automatically makes it accessible to the government without a warrant. The case has been sent back to the United States — United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit for further review, with the United States — Supreme Court of the United States not directly ruling on whether the specific search violated the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution but establishing that such searches constitute a 'search' and are subject to constitutional protections. Justice Samuel Alito dissented, arguing that Okello Chatrie had no expectation of privacy for data voluntarily shared with Alphabet Inc..