Secret Service Allowed To Use Warrantless Cellphone Tracking (myway.com)

mi writes: A mere belief in there being a threat against the President or any other protected person is now sufficient for the U.S. Secret Service to use cell-site simulators (commonly known as "stingrays"). In certain "exceptional circumstances," the stingrays can be used without a judge-signed warrant and even without probable cause. When asked whether this essentially granted a blanket exception for the Secret Service, Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Seth Stodder said the exemption would not be used in routine criminal probes, such as a counterfeiting investigation. I suppose, the personal verbal assurance of an executive-branch government employee should put all fears of the citizenry to rest.

Comments

not guaranteed, could be paralyzed like my friend

[raymorris]

> Can't be that bad, and it definitely will be brief.

A friend of mine stuck a gun in his mouth. Splattered across the wall was the part of his brain that controls muscle function. Now he's a prisoner of paralysis.

To anyone seriously thinking along these lines, that's a very permanent solution to a temporary problem. Remember in high school it was the end of the world when that girl or guy you liked went to the prom with someone else or whatever? Now, it doesn't seem to matter at all. Whatever today's problem is, whatever is the end of the world today, will seem almost as unimportant after a while.

Re:So?

[tompaulco]

Google tracks cell phones without a warrant and they don't need a belief in anything to do it. When corporations track and commoditize you like an animal, what do you care about your privacy?

The constitution doesn't limit what Google can do, it limits what the government can do. It would take new laws being written to say that Google can't do track you, which would be shortly followed by Google going out of business. On the other hand, this is big news that the SS can do this, because constitutionally, no they can't.