Tech Companies Urge Supreme Court To Boost Cellphone Privacy (reuters.com) 29
More than a dozen high technology companies and the biggest wireless operator in the United States, Verizon, have called on the U.S. Supreme Court to make it harder for government officials to access individuals' sensitive cellphone data. From a report: The companies filed a 44-page brief with the court on Monday night in a high-profile dispute over whether police should have to get a warrant before obtaining data that could reveal a cellphone user's whereabouts. Signed by some of Silicon Valley's biggest names, including Apple, Facebook, Twitter, Snap and Alphabet's Google, the brief said that as individuals' data is increasingly collected through digital devices, greater privacy protections are needed under the law. "That users rely on technology companies to process their data for limited purposes does not mean that they expect their intimate data to be monitored by the government without a warrant," the brief said.
LOL (Score:2, Insightful)
LOL, Pot.Kettle.Black.
Government != private corporations (Score:2, Troll)
No, the government collecting your data is not the same as when private corporations do.
When Google knows what you click on, they'll show you some adds. The FBI, local SWAT or sheriff on the other hand, will kick down your door, shoot your dog, beat you to shit. If you're lucky, they go to the wrong house, and it is your neighbor who gets the treatment.
Losing privacy to advertising companies can be annoying and frustrating. Losing privacy to your government is by definition a surveillance state, and quickly
cort dont make the law (Score:1)
that congress
Re: (Score:2)
Massively ignorant response.
It's called case law, and it addresses the millions of potential issues that could be interpreted one way or the other under the law.
If Congress has a problem with a Supreme Court ruling, they can simply amend the underlying law.
If it's a constitutional case, then it's a little more complicated---but still possible. Good luck getting an amendment through with today's politics though.
Good luck with that. (Score:3)
They are better off purchasing a few senators and congresscritters.
Just give us better encryption (Score:3, Insightful)
Without that, all their pleas are extremely hollow. All this is a dog and pony show anyway. Where on the ledger does it show that it matters?
Re: (Score:2)
What's going on here? Am I missing something the summary implies location history something encryption isn't going to hep with when they are getting the info from the carrier not your phone.
Re: (Score:2)
Without that, all their pleas are extremely hollow. All this is a dog and pony show anyway. Where on the ledger does it show that it matters?
The government keeps asking them to add backdoors...
Re: (Score:1)
Technologists: Nah, just give us the technological part. One layer of security should be enough for everybody.
The Californian ideology, that strange hybrid where mostly progressive people at the same time believe in small government and the 'disruption' of institutions.
Oh fuck verizon! (Score:1)
They are the ones that sold out every customer to the admob (supercookie, anyone), they don't want Privacy for the *customers*, they don't like the gov and their favourite three-letter-agencys intruding in their networks.
Make Congress use LCD carriers and cells (Score:2)
Then they can feel the pain like us.
They don't like the competition. (Score:3)
Heh.
Not just the GOV (Score:4, Insightful)
Every application on my phone wants to track my GPS coordinates...
They can turn around and sell it to anyone... including Government agencies.
Re: (Score:2)
Yes, annoying. However, you can deny them to have locations. I do that. I even disable it fully until I need it.
Since when (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
No shit, if they don't want to give up customers private data, stop fucking logging it. Verizon, your plans are now unlimited. There is no longer any business need for domestic call logs (international calls are still subject to interception, as they always have been), data logs, or any other kind of logging of communications between two domestic parties. You can't give up the information you don't have. Lead by fucking example. Log nothing unless under the order of a signed warrant describing the party to
Google wants greater privacy protections?? (Score:2)
Hypocrisy? (Score:1)
"...does not mean that they expect their intimate data to be monitored by the government without a warrant"
No, those tech companies just want marketing companies to monitor our intimate data "for limited purposes" (and pay the tech companies handsomely to do that).