The Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Monday, January 23, 2012 that police must get a search warrant before they attach a GPS device to a suspect’s car. The decision, however, is also notable for the privacy issues it does not settle.
In separate opinions, the justices raised questions about how much privacy people can expect as they buy GPS-enabled smartphones and cars equipped with tracking devices meant for safety, but which may be susceptible to misuse by government – even as they agreed that the FBI went too far in this case