First Court in California Suppresses Evidence from Overbroad Geofence Warrant

A California trial court has held a geofence warrant issued to the San Francisco Police Department violated the Fourth Amendment and California’s landmark electronic communications privacy law, CalECPA. The court suppressed evidence stemming from the warrant, becoming the first court in California to do so. EFF filed an amicus brief early on in the case, arguing geofence warrants are unconstitutional.

The case is People v. Dawes and involved a 2018 burglary in a residential neighborhood. Private surveillance cameras recorded …

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