The US Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that location history, including data from third-party providers like Google, is protected under the Fourth Amendment, requiring a warrant for government access.
The US Supreme Court limited the use of geofencing warrants, sending a case back to determine if the search was 'reasonable' under the Fourth Amendment, citing concerns over mass surveillance and privacy.
The Supreme Court heard arguments on whether geofencing warrants—allowing police to demand Google identify all users within a crime scene area—are constitutional. The case stems from a 2019 Virginia bank robbery where police obtained a warrant for location data on roughly three football fields around the bank, ultimately identifying Okello Chatrie. The government argues users who opted into Google's location history waived privacy expectations, while defense contends this amounts to a dragnet search violating the Fourth Amendment's protection against unreasonable searches.
