That's why I keep a passcode on access to my phone. If the Cop wants to search it.. "Oops, I forgot the code".

Go ahead they can check my phone. They can track down where the BIGBT orders his food from and places his horse racing bets. They will also see a few calls to NETFLIX customer service complaining about a few problems.

Ah the 4th Amendment. How quaint.

Yes, with probable cause.

It depends on whether or not you have an expectation of privacy concerning your phone. If it has an access code and it is used I would argue that you have a reasonable expectation of privacy. If you do not use it than you do not expect privacy. Without the lock it is hard to argue that there is an expectation of privacy.

They have been doing it for years whether theres a law against it or for it. Twice my son was arrested and both times they not only kept his phone and told him it wasn't w/his belongings but they used it and contacted one of his contacts and damn near got my son killed by saying they were my son and setting them up.

This is totally ridiculous. That info is private!

If it has an antenna its free game. I hear cell conversations all the time on the State Police Frequencies. My scanner is not altered in anyway. Cellphones ...cordless phones can be intercepted thru a scanner also cordless phones. Many of the scanners have a search mode wich will automatically find and lock a frequencies down. Never ever do bussiness on cell or cordless phone. Use a wired in. Also wireless headphones can intercept cell calls because they are on the same frequencies. It is not deliberate it happends. Baby monitors also can be heard. So beware of what you put on your cell or cordless.

Be careful, your TV set will be watching you too. See all the patents being issued lately. I have friends who put strips of paper over the webcam in their laptops, since you don't know who is watching you without a warrant... <smile>

Jason as a matter of fact he has changed his ways and is a wonderful asset to the community now. The point I was trying to get across was cops have been doing things all along that violate a persons rights w/no regard to the law. They didn't care that they were jeopardizing my sons life and families as well.

Distractions distractions!!! Where are the real stories that are happening in this city? Trash bags...Ipads....c'mon patch will ya!!

Yes distractions thats right! How many times is that guy gonna burn down the house on Freemont Street geesh that artical has been there for ages.

@ Josh.. LOL I use a metal strainer on my head to pick up frequencies..lol

Like Jason said above, don't do anything to MAKE them want to look. It is quite simpl

To Mr. DeMaina....that argument ONLY works if you're stopped by police for 'suspicion' only,say. a traffic stop. If the policeman asks to or demands to search your vehicle, you have the right to refuse a search. The Supreme Court stated that the police need 'probable cause' to search a suspect's vehicle. Say, they see something criminal like a handgun, or drugs, etc. I was subjected to this behavior by a policeman in N.H. back 5 years ago. I refused to consent to a search. The policeman said it could 'go bad for me' if I refused the search. The idiot thought I would think that by refusing a consent to a search meant I was relinquishing my rights. I had to recite to him what the Supreme Court said about searches. "You stopped me for a traffic violation....so if you want to search my car, go get a warrant!" I left with a citation, AND my rights still intact. :)

To Andrew Sylvia, I'm trying to figure out how a can of Progresso soup and aurgula, have any bearing on a discussion about people's civil rights. Help me to understand, please!

Love Arugula. With a nice goddess dressing...yummy.

If your so freaked out about your cell phone privacy, you have had to much Koolaid..and spent to much time with your head on the sand.....Have you heard of the NSA?

Sick of this City is right. They have stripped our constitutional rights in the name of "safety", but who are they keeping safe? If they do have access to computers, cell phones, Facebook, they are not going to be telling you how they do it. Our technology is far advanced, but the military and police have more access than citizens. I only wish they would use this high-tech surveillance on the real bad guys and leave the innocent alone. Be careful what you write, it could be used against you someday. "absolute power corrupts".

As much as we believe there are many wonderful benefits to having these gadgets which help us with communication, it has also hurt our civilization in many unforeseen ways. I can appreciate those who say they will never use a cell phone or computer. Yes, we can think they are dinosaurs who subscribe to an era which has since died, but they may have a true understanding of freedom which many don't realize. So my question is this--while those keeping tabs on the rest of us, ARE COMMITTING CRIMES, who's watching them? It appears what is perceived to be "criminal", has become subjective. Their jobs just got easier--

http://translogic.aolautos.com/photos/gps-tracking-devices/#11714

Here's an article from Boston Magazine that may be helpful:

http://blogs.bostonmagazine.com/boston_daily/2012/12/07/police-check-phone-when-arrested/

WE are not LETTING IT HAPPEN....ever since they created wars on the other side of the globe, while stripping natural resources of innocent nations--it's suddenly become a "terrorist-around-ever-corner", BS society. Look what they did to the people who were protesting on Wall Street? They are hired by corporations to ward off any inflated assembly--you know, like making them be accountable for the trillion dollar deficit we the taxpayers are now on the hook for--this is rampant and has been going on for years. With the millions of people broke and without jobs, they call it what they want and wish people to remain in fear. Believe what you want--if you remove your mind from the corporate run and paid mainstream media traitors, you will understand through unbiased networks on line, such as Democracy NOW, who tell it like it is.

http://www.democracynow.org/2012/3/21/exposed_inside_the_nsas_largest_and

In case anyone missed my earlier post. "They" can spy on your cell phone, even when it is turned off. Turning off that device isn't good enough anymore unless you yank the battery out. Others may be too young to know what is going on, but I remember and I'm going to spill about it every so often, even if others think I'm off the reservation. See article below about how they can get info from your turned off cell phone. The world has changed and a lot of critical information about what is going on is not common knowledge anymore(if it ever was).

http://www2.wsav.com/news/2012/nov/20/4/cell-phone-surveillance-tracking-your-every-move-ar-4987249/

For those of you still naive about the system--there are good and bad of all professions. You owe it to yourself and your family members to find out your rights and don't ever think that you can't ask questions. I'll share a quick story--my daughter was out driving at 3:00 a.m., and was pulled over for no reason. It happened just a few towns over. She was detained for over 40 minutes and was asked inappropriate questions. Luckily, she got home safe, but was upset by the incident. I made a phone call that week to someone I know within the system--one of the good guys because I felt as her parent, I had an obligation to report it. She was too afraid to file a report. I've learned other things over the years I am not at liberty to discuss involving people who have been "targeted" for whatever reason.

Just know your rights and find someone in the system who believes in our constitutional rights as citizens. Unfortunately, there are many people who won't ever challenge these situations out of fear or a disbelief they can't win, even when they are innocent.

More info, specifically about iPhone security, since it is the dominant cell phone in the U.S. right now. You don't know who is looking in your phone, let alone the police.

http://www.techweekeurope.co.uk/news/apple-iphone-security-spyphones-99085

Here's another good resource--and there is also the ACLU--

http://www.amazon.com/Fight-Back-Win-Thirty-Year-Injustice--And/dp/B002SB8OZW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345747850&sr=8-1&keywords=fight+back+and+win

I'm not sure about the iPhone specifically, but with most phones, computers, SD cards, etc. even when you delete files the information it is recoverable. I used a Win-based software to recover pictures from my accidentally deleted SD card this way. Everything leaves a shadow which, when pulled up by someone who knows how, can be found/restored. I'm not even sure a factory reset erases this information entirely, though in order to get it, officials would at that point have to call in some specialists and would likely only put forth the effort if you were charged with something egregious warranting such intervention. In the most basic situations, a passcode which factory resets your phone is probably your safest bet. They can't compel you to give up your passcode.

Technology has made our lives easier, but also more of an open book to anyone with the knowledge to hack into it. Leave no trace is pretty impossible if you use technology - even without a smartphone, you;d have to live under a rock with no utilities, car, bank account, or debit/credit cards.

To answer the question - electronic data SHOULD be the same as hard copies locked in your file cabinet at home. Coulda, shoulda, woulda, though - and we all know why 'they' use the asisine "well, if are innocent you have nothing to hide" argument.

Lately, I've decided to give in and live normally on the electronic "grid". Our society has become computerized to the point that you have to either live under a nondescript rock as Amber said or keep a wallet full of fake IDs and license plates.
The authorities are going to gradually give themselves more power to be more intrusive over time and we're simply going to talk ourselves into agreeing to less privacy. Maybe society is going full circle back to Adam and Eve, only digitally through our cell phones......

Folks, there are very good programs out there (Windows.....screw Macs) that can eradicate EVERYTHING off of your hard drives! I've used them in the past. Even went and yanked out the hard drives to verify. :) Unfortunately, this is the world we live in now. Welcome to the wonderful world of technology.

Mike, I'm not much of a Mac guy, so I'll take your word for it

Big Brother doesn't need permission to do anything. They can find out answers to their questions without you. They can tell where you've been in your car, by your phone, credit cards, etc. They know what you like to eat, what stores you like to go to. What movies you like. What TV channels you like to watch. How much money you have in the bank. Jeez how come if they all know this about us why can we know the same about people like the Koch Brothers?

If someone has an interaction with the police and they take your cell phone there must be a reason they take it. Don't sell drugs and I bet they don't search anything.