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| Law enforcement needs a search warrant just to look at the lock screen on your smartphone, Seattle judge rules as robbery suspect says FBI turned on his phone and viewed the screen |
| 2020-05-23 |
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] - Judge Coughenour made the ruling in the US District Court in Seattle Monday in favor of Joseph Sam, who was arrested for robbery and assault in May 2019
- Coughenour said that looking at an individual's lock screen is classed as a search meaning law enforcement cannot do this without a search warrant
- An arresting officer turned on Sam's smartphone and viewed the lock screen
- The judge said sometimes police officers can carry out a search without a warrant so this could have been constitutional in some circumstances
- But seven months later, an FBI agent turned the suspect's phone on again and took a photo of the lock screen
- The judge said this was unconstitutional because the FBI cannot conduct a search without a warrant
- FBI evidence gained from the cellphone screen belonging to Joseph Sam - who was arrested for robbery and assault in May 2019 - has now been thrown out
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| Posted by:Skidmark |