Police Need a Warrant to Search Your Cellphone Supreme Court Rules

The Supreme Court recently ruled that police must almost always obtain a warrant before searching mobile devices seized when arresting someone, extending constitutional privacy protections to the increasingly vast amounts of data Americans keep on smartphones, cellphones, and other hand-held digital technology. The ruling rejected law-enforcement arguments that cellphones fell under a long-standing exception to the warrant requirement that allows police to search the contents of suspects' pockets to make sure they don't carry weapons or destroy evidence. Privacy advocates are hailing the ruling as a bold signal that the court will protect constitutional privacy interests from the vast powers of modern technology.