Leonard Deutchman writes: The “plain view” doctrine of the Fourth Amendment holds that law enforcement properly authorized to be in a certain area can lawfully search and seize evidence seen in plain view from that vantage point. It is seen as an “exception” to the Fourth Amendment because, under it, searches and seizures are authorized…
Category: U.S.
Breaking Down the Boucher Bill
Tanya Forsheit analyzes a a draft of a privacy bill introduced recently by Rick Boucher and Cliff Stearns: In early May, Reps. Rick Boucher (D-Va.) and Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.) introduced a long anticipated “discussion draft” of a bill “[t]o require notice to and consent of an individual prior to the collection and disclosure of certain…
Spy-cam suit family drops plan for class-action damages
John P. Martin reports: The Penn Valley family whose lawsuit against the Lower Merion School District launched a firestorm over the district’s use of webcams to track student laptops has dropped its plans to seek class-action damages. In court filings made public Wednesday, the lawyer for Harriton High School sophomore Blake Robbins and his parents…
EFF Demands Records on PATRIOT Act Effectiveness, Lawfulness, and Misuse
Lawsuit Seeks Information on Three Controversial Surveillance Provisions in Advance of Congressional Debate The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) filed suit today against the Department of Justice (DOJ), demanding records on three controversial PATRIOT Act surveillance provisions that expire early next year unless Congress renews them. EFF is seeking the immediate release of Federal Bureau of…