Supreme Court: Constitution protects cell phone location data

Key facts

• The Supreme Court ruled the Constitution protects cell phone location data.
• Police need warrants to obtain cell phone location history from third parties.
• The ruling stems from a case involving Okello Chatrie.
• The case will return to a lower court to determine warrant legality.
• The Supreme Court upheld Donald Trump's authority to fire an FTC member.
• The ruling reversed a lower court decision blocking the dismissal of FTC Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter.
• The decision expands presidential power over independent regulatory agencies.

The U.S. Supreme Court has determined that the Constitution safeguards individuals' cell phone location history, asserting that law enforcement's demand for such data from third-party tech companies constitutes an intrusion on a protected privacy interest. The ruling mandates that police must obtain warrants to access geofence data, a decision that originated from a case involving Okello Chatrie. The case will now be remanded to a lower court to assess the legality of the specific warrant issued.