The Supreme Court just struck a blow against mass surveillance

[Commentary] The Supreme Court decided June 22 that cell-site location information is protected by the Fourth Amendment’s guarantee against unreasonable searches and seizures. Carpenter v. United States offers a rare bright spot in the uphill battle for digital privacy. Even more significant than the ruling is the reasoning: The Supreme Court has finally rejected the outdated idea that we voluntarily surrender our privacy simply because we own a digital device.

Carpenter involved a criminal investigation. The court was careful to leave “other collection techniques involving foreign affairs or national security” to future cases. Nevertheless, it is in the sweeping mass surveillance programs of the U.S. intelligence community where the court’s decision is likely to have its biggest impact.

[Timothy Edgar is a senior fellow in international and public affairs at Brown University]