During routine traffic stops, LE in Michigan is downloading ALL the information from your cell phone, including geo-tags, texts and the numbers you've called.

They can tell where you've been, who you've contacted, and if you sent texts, what you said.

The ACLU is challenging the use of this device, but so far, LE won't even cooperate in providing information on how it's being used.

I think most people are aware of cell phone company apps that allow others to see where your phone is located any time they want.  But I saw today that Apple iPhones routinely store quite a bit of phone tower-based location data, and it's quite easily examined.  See link.

I downloaded the program and ran it on my computer.  It's pretty cool.  Saw all the places I've been in the U.S. and Europe over the past year or so.  The dots are color-and size-coded for amount of time spent in a place.  If you zoom in, you get a lot more detail.  Map data is downloaded, so sometimes it takes a little time to update.  But you'll get street-level detail in cities.

So make sure your primary phone is at a different locale than your hobby phone when you hobby.  Then you may be able to claim that you were someplace else besides your date's location if the need arises...

Good idea.

I wonder how well the tracking software works on disposables.  If you trade out a phone every month or so, LE's gotta go nutso trying to track you down.

ALL cell phones providers KNOW your cell location when the cell is turned on.  If there was a good reason, the cell company will provide this data to LE right now.  This file is no different than that.

My Garmin car GPS unit has a log function.  I use it to find provider's locations for our meetings.  But I am very careful to clear the log when I return home, so that my dear spouse doesn't wonder why I was at a certain hotel.

Having publicized it, I suspect that Apple will now give the option to "clear the log" whenever you want as well.  But that won't clear the log at AT&T or Verizon!

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the fact that Apple supposedly did not use this data does not mean they weren't going to.  I don't believe this was an accident.  BS!!
This is just wrong.  We owe a ebt to the guys who uncovered this SPYWARE!
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That is really interesting. I would bet dollars to donuts that the courts will find that to be an unreasonable search. No way do they have probable cause on a traffic stop to do obtain that kind of information and no way can they show that that type of search is warranted in all situations. I support LE in general, but come on. We have a

It's not spyware.  Apple has a feature called "location services", that you can opt into or out of.  If you use Yelp, or any number of location info services, the phone needs to keep track of where it is. And I and I am sure that they store the location so that the GPS doesn't have to get the exact fix every time, saving battery and time.

I don't think its spyware, but I bet there will be an update that allows you to delete the file or clear it, any time you want!

Most of the articles I've read show that the courts are upholding the attack on our Fourth Amendment not as an attack, but as a "necessary" part of the times we live in.

The stories aren't on the front pages of newspapers so the "old folks" who would get just how bad this all is (and don't have the internet) aren't informed. If they're written up at all they're buried behind the classifieds. So, those people don't even know it's going on.

Many more who are on the 'net don't look into such stuff because they either don't care or they don't know about it in order to care.

Until G2 posted this, I didn't know about it. I admit being largely ignorant to most political machinations, but this falls under the few political things I try to stay on top of. Our Constitution and Bill of Rights is too important to let this faux "protection" go unchallenged.

Thankfully some Justices are insisting that this IS just as bad as it sounds. Of course the ACLU is hollering (and so are most of us in this particular thread).  Now, the trick is how to alert the rest of those we know who would also see it as bad as it is without bringing the whole thing to our driveway.

You can always turn your phone off, put it in airplane mode, or simply leave it on your desk at work.  Not idea but if it really worries you then take action.

I defer to the Legal Board, but if you put a password on your cell phone you are telling the LE world that you are exercising your reasonable expectation of privacy and the cops will need search warrant to seize your data.