Lawsuit over cell phone tracking surveillance

By: Drivers.com staff
Date: 2008-07-09

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"Signing up for cell phone services should not be synonymous with signing up to be spied on and tracked by the government," says Catherine Crump, an attorney representing the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

The ACLU and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) have filed a lawsuit that would force the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to turn over its records on the tracking of private individuals’ cell phones. The two civil rights watchdogs are reacting to media reports that some government officials feel they do not need 'probable cause' to initiate tracking of information from people's cell phones.

The ACLU and the EFF have requested documents covering policies and procedures for government tracking activities. The requested documents include information about how often the DOJ has applied for cell phone location information without establishing probable cause, and how many times it has been granted.

Catherine Crump, the ACLU lead attorney on the case, reckons this is a good opportunity to examine what may be unconstitutional government surveillance techniques.

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