You’re Gonna Need a Warrant for That
April 23, 2021
Under proposed legislation, government agencies could no longer bypass current data-gathering restrictions by tapping commercial brokers to buy user identification information collected from smartphones; they’ll first need a court order to acquire the information. About time, say Lauren Sarkesian and Spandana Singh of New America’s Open Technology Institute. In an Issues online exclusive, they explore the potential problems and call on Congress to adopt safeguards to prevent data brokers and government agencies—especially law enforcement—from doing surveillance by skirting the Constitution’s Fourth Amendment.