The Supreme Court has ruled that warrantless searches of cell phones incident to an arrest has been ruled impermissible under the Fourth Amendment.
The Court’s unanimous decision is being read as a significant win for civil liberties and the rights of the individual in the digital age. Said Chief Justice Roberts:
“The fact that technology now allows an individual to carry such information in his hand does not make the information any less worthy of the protection for which the founders fought. Our answer to the question of what police must do before searching a cell phone seized incident to an arrest is accordingly simple – get a warrant.”