Feed: CA allows warrantless phone search - AggScore: 12.6

CA allows warrantless phone search

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strongimg classalignright srchttpprevious.presstv.irphoto20110107pirhayati20110107185632547.jpg alt width450 height300 A new court ruling in California gives permission to officers of the law to search a suspects cell phone without warrant to find incriminating texts, emails or sensitive data. strongAfter a 52 vote, the California Supreme Court ruled on Monday that Californian police officers can now root through the contents of a detainees phone.The ruling has been based on a 2007 incident in Ventura County where a deputy sheriff confiscated a suspects phone and looked through the cell phones text message folder without a warrant.He confronted the suspect using one of the messages, whereupon, the suspect admitted to participating in the sales of Ecstasy pills.Critics maintain that the court ruling is a blatant violation of civil rights. They say the fact that the recent ruling gives permission to access data stored on your phone because of an arrest is an unjustifiable intrusion upon individual privacy.The California Supreme Courts opinion seriously undervalues personal privacy, Peter Bibring, a staff attorney from American Civil Liberties Union told Press TV on Friday.He added that under longstanding law, officers have the right to search a person when they arrest them to look for evidence that they might be carrying weapons.Bibring also highlighted the ruling is troubling because it expands the scope of what police will be legally permitted to do when they make an arrest.With cell phones, individual carry their emails, their text messages, confidential and financial data, potentially medical records, pictures of themselves and their families in their pockets, he pointed out.