GPS Tracking Without a Warrant Declared Legal

jnaujok writes "The Ninth Circuit court has declared that attaching a GPS tracker to your car, as it sits in your driveway, or by extension on a public street, and then using it to monitor every one of your movements, is totally legal, and can be performed by the police without needing a warrant. So, if you live in the Western United States, big brother has arrived."

Comments

Heh

[Captain Splendid]

inb4 inevitable Obama bashing even though any current administration/court system would do the same damn thing.

Quick question for the Americans here: How does it feel to have "won" the cold war only to become your ex-enemy? Really, the irony just doesn't get any better than that.

Re:Heh

[dfenstrate]

And yet a Reagan-appointed judge was the lone dissent in this case, and the originating state, Oregon, isn't exactly known as a Republican stronghold.

Perhaps you and your conservative-bashing responders hold some ideas that aren't quite true.

Re:Why should I worry?

[Sarten-X]

This is the WORST possible argument one can give regarding the erosion of our rights.

Not at all. It's a valid opinion. In my own opinion, the worst argument for eroding rights is "Think of the children!"

It is never acceptable to give away our rights...regardless of whether we ever perceive we may need them.

What about my right to murder someone who looks at me funny? Should I have a right to torture you until you work for me? All but the most basic civilizations are based on the careful limiting of what people can do. If everyone respects those limits, the society runs smoothly.

SHould I take away your right to free speech, because you don't speak about controversial topics? How about taking away your right to the free pratice of your religion? How about taking away your right to be secure in person & property...the government doesn't want my stuff, why should I care if they take away Joe's house?

Yes, you should outlaw yelling "FIRE!" in a crowded theater. Yes, you should take away the right for someone to murder others in the name of religion. Yes, you should place limits on the amount of hazardous materials a person can gather, or the amount of stuff they can take from others without paying, or the ability to have certain devices capable of quickly causing widespread harm.

For the love of god people...this shit is important to everyone. I can't believe anyone would say "Who cares?" when it comes to our rights & freedoms.

And I can't believe someone would be so insanely trusting of humans.

Here's a thought for you: The police can already do this. They can follow you by car, bike, helicopter, or on foot. They can check every license plate in the city. They don't need a warrant unless they start entering the conceptual ground of "search and seizure". The problem is that costs a lot of time and money that could be better spent elsewhere, like looking for people who are actually committing real crimes. Personally, I'm glad that technology can make our police more effective, instead of just finding new ways for us to kill each other.

What essential right is actually being given up here? Where in the constitution does it require that police already know your actions before they can investigate them? All societies apart from absolute anarchy exchange liberty for security. The key aspect is whether what's lost is actually worth anything beyond just being an academic "liberty".