Not too awful long ago I wrote a post regarding my change of heart concerning the patriot act. Mostly the reason boils down to that I don't believe you can trust the government of the United States, or any government for that matter, to do the right thing. Well that goes for Bush and Obama alike. You may have read the story recently where officials in the Obama administration said the following regarding tracking citizens via their cell phones without a warrant. Here is the full story.
In that case, the Obama administration has argued that warrantless tracking
is permitted because Americans enjoy no "reasonable expectation of privacy" in
their--or at least their cell phones'--whereabouts.
In the times we live it seems that privacy really has become something the government believes is not a right. The fourth amendment to the constitution disagrees and reads as follows:
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
While cell phones obviously had not been conceived at the time, the word "effects" applies to all your possessions. Including a cell phone and it's where abouts.
