US district court permits mobile phones tracking

Judge Gorenstein of the US Southern District Court of New York has permitted the government to use mobile phones tracking information without having to obtain a search warrant before hand. Three other federal judges, however, refused to give such permission in previous cases, basing their decisions on the argument that through the cellphones people can be followed into their homes and other personal spaces and that's why they must meet the same high legal standard required to obtain a search warrant to enter private places. Judge Gorenstein's ruling allows law enforcement officials to obtain from the carrier a record of what tower a user makes calls from during certain period of time or a map of all tower locations, but doesn't include requests for e911-derived aGPS or triangulated. This means that the law enforcement officials will be able determine a suspect location only within a large circle around a tower.

Source: EFF (via Phonescoop)