Supreme Court rules broad cellphone location data sweeps require warrants

The case involving a Virginia bank robbery is the latest example of the justices wrestling with how to apply constitutional protections to new technology.

WASHINGTON — In a ruling applying individual constitutional protections to new technology, the Supreme Court on Monday ruled that sweeping use of cellphone location data requires a warrant.

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The case focused on a Virginia bank robbery, where a conviction rested in part on cellphone location information law enforcement received from Google through a so-called geofence warrant. These allow law enforcement to obtain data showing cellphone users who were in the vicinity of a crime scene, even if they are not targeting a specific suspect.

The court, divided 6-3, found that broad geofence surveillance constitutes a search under the Constitution’s Fourth Amendment, which protects against unreasonable searches and seizures.