Anything you say, text or photograph on your cellphone can now be held against you in a court of law. On July 30, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that cellphone location data is not protected by the Fourth Amendment.
As a result, the police and government can now track your location and how you use your cellphone without your knowledge. The court ruled that cellphone data is a “business record” and is owned by the cellphone company. In turn, police can seize the info from cellphone companies.
The Fifth Circuit court ruled that it’s up to citizens to fight for the right to have cellphone privacy. “Cellphone users may reasonably want their location information to remain private, but it’s up to lobby elected representatives to instigate legislation to protect their data, or demand that carriers stop storing the records in the first place.”
The ruling comes on the heels of the NSA’s Xkeyscore controversy. According to a report by The Guardian, Xkeyscore collects online and cellphone data from citizens and allows individuals in the NSA to spy without the person knowing.
As technology increases, absolute privacy is becoming a thing of the past. But will you fight to maintain your right to privacy?
