Unanimous Supreme Court Decision: Police cannot track via GPS without a warrant.

For those that don’t know, police and federal agencies have been keeping tabs on People of Interest (or anyone else) utilizing GPS devices without acquiring any form of warrant or approval nor have they been required to record that they are or have done it.  On the surface, you might be like most Americans and say “So What” but due to the lack of oversight, I always thought this was absurd and was ripe for abuse.  As such, it serves as a great example of the age old saying “The road to hell is paved with good intentions”.

Apparently, the US Supreme Court agrees in a rare unanimous decision restoring my faith in the US justice system.  As stated by Justice Scalia:

It is important to be clear about what occurred in this case: The Government physically occupied private property for the purpose of obtaining information.  We have no doubt that such a physical intrusion would have been considered a “search” within the meaning of the Fourth Amendment when it was adopted.

For those who would like a quick refresher on the 4th Amendment:

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.

Feel free to read more about this at:

• Supreme Court [PDF]
• DailyTech: Supreme Court: Sorry Obama, Police Cannot Invade Property, Track Without Warrant
• CNBC: Police must have warrant for GPS tracking, Supreme Court rules