Instead of obtaining warrants to collect geolocation data from companies, U.S. federal law enforcement agencies have turned to simply purchasing such information—a tactic that has privacy advocates calling for Congress to enact reforms.
Law enforcement’s purchases of bulk data have been on the rise since the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2018 decision in Carpenter v. United States, when justices said law enforcement agencies need to obtain warrants before they can request geolocation data.
