You might not know geofencing, but it knows you.<\/p>\n
Geofencing is defined as a technology that draws a virtual line around a physical area so that a signal can be sent to a mobile electronic device, such as a cellphone, that has passed through that area.<\/p>\n
If youve ever walked into a store, spoken to no one and then very shortly gotten an email or text from that store, youre familiar with the practice if not the word.<\/p>\n
Geofencing also is a law enforcement tool, at least until and unless the courts decide otherwise.<\/p>\n
Last year, a man robbed a Richmond-area bank of $195,000. A search warrant led to Google opening its cellphone accounts to focus on everyone near the bank at the time of the robbery. With a little sleuthing, the cops narrowed their search down to one man whose phone was inside the bank when it was robbed. He was caught with $100,000 and he confessed.<\/p>\n
Now the mans lawyers claim that the Google search violated the Fourth Amendment, which guarantees citizens protection against unreasonable searches and guards our expectation to privacy.<\/p>\n
His attorneys say finding the location of every cellphone near that bank is like searching every home in a neighborhood because of a nearby robbery. The federal court in Richmond will decide whether theyre right.<\/p>\n
Freeing a man who pretty obviously did the crime on a technicality would be a hard pill to swallow. However, the way he was caught is problematic.<\/p>\n
If you have an Android phone or iPhone, and Location History is enabled, the data from that phone is tracked and stored.<\/p>\n
Many of us do not like the idea that our every move is being recorded. That seems invasive, not to say irritating.<\/p>\n
A man in Florida learned that police were seeking information on his Google account. He coincidentally was in the same area where a home was burglarized and was a suspect. He spent thousands clearing his name.<\/p>\n
An Arizona man spent six days in jail after a geofence search showed him at a place where a crime was committed. Turns out, hed given his old cellphone to another man, who did the deed.<\/p>\n
New York state is considering a bill that would ban geofence warrants there. The federal ruling in Richmond will help determine their legality nationwide.<\/p>\n
Geofencing is no doubt valuable in catching criminals, but the amount of privacy every citizen gives up seems like a high price to pay for making crime prevention a little easier.<\/p>\n
If the police came knocking on your door, demanding to search your house because somebody on your block committed a crime, you likely would feel violated. Geofencing is like that, except you dont even know youre being searched. That makes it even scarier.<\/p>\n
Adapted from The Free Lance-Star, Fredericksburg<\/p>\n
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Editorial, August 10, 2020: Your cellphone might be "Big Brother" - Richmond.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" You might not know geofencing, but it knows you. Geofencing is defined as a technology that draws a virtual line around a physical area so that a signal can be sent to a mobile electronic device, such as a cellphone, that has passed through that area Continue reading