The U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday in a 2-1 decision that the federal government may grab GPS data from telephone carriers without a warrant, the New York Times reported.
Doing so is “not per se unconstitutional,” court documents state, since the data is considered a “business record” and such records don’t fall under Fourth Amendment protections against illegal search and seizures, the Times reported.
“This decision is a big deal,” a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union said.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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