Fourth Amendment - GoKawiil

Second Circuit rules border agents can search phones without a warrant

The Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that U.S. border agents may search travelers' electronic devices without any individualized suspicion, rejecting arguments for a warrant requirement. The decision came in United States v. Alisigwe, a case in which prosecutors used evidence from two warrantless cellphone searches conducted at the border. The Knight First Amendment Institute and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press had filed a brief urging the court to require warrants, citing First and Fourth Amendment concerns.

knightcolumbia.org · 2026-09-18

Flock's License-Plate Cameras Build a Surveillance Net With No Off-Ramp

An investigation into Flock Safety examines how the company's automated license-plate readers have spread across thousands of U.S. communities, creating a dense network of surveillance that local police departments increasingly rely on. The piece traces how privacy law's ambiguous constitutional footing—rooted in Fourth Amendment protections rather than an explicit right—has left room for technologies like Flock's cameras to expand largely unchecked. It situates this growth within a longer post-9/11 trend of trading privacy for promised safety and convenience.

newyorker.com · 2026-09-09