Problem
Debate the delicate balance between public safety and personal privacy.
In March 2019, a ninety-seven-year-old woman reported to the Gainesville Police Department that jewelry was missing from her house. With no leads, the police got a warrant from a judge for Google. The warrant-called a geofence warrant-demanded records of all devices using Google services that had been near the woman's home when the burglary was thought to have occurred. After reviewing these records, the police became interested in one man, as the data showed that he had been near the woman's house three times in an hour. The man, however, was an avid biker and had enabled Google's location services to track his bike rides in an app. The man was forced to hire an attorney, who told the police that they had the wrong person, as the man had merely been on a bike ride in that area when the burglary was thought to have occurred. Based on this information, the police eliminated the man as a suspect.
Should the police be able to call for a geofence warrant that collects data on people to solve a petty theft crime? When does law enforcement cross the line between public service and invasion of privacy?