Fifth Circuit Declares Geofence Warrants Unconstitutional

The ruling marks a significant shift in digital privacy law, creating a split with other circuits and questioning the validity of broad digital searches.

The 5th Circuit Court ruled that geofence warrants violate the Fourth Amendment's protection against unreasonable searches.
This decision conflicts with the 4th Circuit and Colorado Supreme Court, which upheld the use of these warrants.
Geofence warrants require providers like Google to search vast databases to identify users within a specific area and time frame.
The court upheld the evidence in the case due to law enforcement's good faith reliance on the warrants.
Experts and digital rights groups consider the ruling a major victory for privacy, impacting future digital surveillance practices.