Will Warrants Be Required for Obtaining Cellphone Records?

Texas legislators are considering modifying the current use of cellphone records in police investigations with House Bill 1608. This bill, if passed, would require investigators to have probable cause of illegal activity before being able to access a person’s cellphone records. Only after obtaining a valid warrant could an investigation of this nature occur. Many legislators have signed on, saying that the passage of this bill would mean a “win” for the right to privacy. On the other side of the spectrum, some are saying that increasing the right to privacy as it pertains to cellphone investigations would actually make it more difficult to catch actual criminals. Many major wireless providers indicated that these types of requests come to them thousands of times per day from law enforcement agencies. Should this bill be passed in Texas, it could be passed elsewhere in the U.S.

To view the entire story, visit The New York Times article: The Cellphone Records, Officer? You May Soon Need a Warrant.