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A World Without Privacy: Why Property Does Not Define The Limits Of The Right Against Unreasonable Searches And Seizures, Sherry F. Colb Mar 2004

A World Without Privacy: Why Property Does Not Define The Limits Of The Right Against Unreasonable Searches And Seizures, Sherry F. Colb

Michigan Law Review

Imagine for a moment that it is the year 2020. An American company has developed a mind-reading device, called the "brain wave recorder" ("BWR"). The BWR is a highly sensitive instrument that detects electrical impulses from any brain within ten feet of the machine. Though previously thought impossible, the BWR can discern the following information about the target individual: (1) whether he or she is happy, sad, anxious, depressed, or irritable; (2) whether he or she is even slightly sexually aroused; (3) whether he or she is taking any medication (and if so, what the medication is); (4) if a …


The Fourth Amendment And New Technologies: Constitutional Myths And The Case For Caution, Orin S. Kerr Mar 2004

The Fourth Amendment And New Technologies: Constitutional Myths And The Case For Caution, Orin S. Kerr

Michigan Law Review

To one who values federalism, federal preemption of state law may significantly threaten the autonomy and core regulatory authority of The Supreme Court recently considered whether a1mmg an infrared thermal imaging device at a suspect's home can violate the Fourth Amendment. Kyllo v. United States announced a new and comprehensive rule: the government's warrantless use of senseenhancing technology that is "not in general use" violates the Fourth Amendment when it yields "details of the home that would previously have been unknowable without physical intrusion." Justice Scalia's majority opinion acknowledged that the Court's rule was not needed to resolve the case …


Katz Is Dead. Long Live Katz, Peter P. Swire Mar 2004

Katz Is Dead. Long Live Katz, Peter P. Swire

Michigan Law Review

Katz v. United States is the king of Supreme Court surveillance cases. Written in 1967, it struck down the earlier regime of property rules, declaring that "the Fourth Amendment protects people, not places." The concurrence by Justice Harlan announced the new regime - court-issued warrants are required where there is an infringement on a person's "reasonable expectation of privacy." Together with the companion case Berger v. New York, Katz has stood for a grand conception of the Fourth Amendment as a bulwark against wiretaps and other emerging forms of surveillance. Professor Orin Kerr, in his excellent article, shows that …


Brief Of Amici Curiae — United States Senate Committee On Commerce, Science, And Transportation Jan 2004

Brief Of Amici Curiae — United States Senate Committee On Commerce, Science, And Transportation

Richmond Journal of Law & Technology

This Amicus Curiae Brief is respectfully filed by the undersigned members of the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation (“Committee”). Acting in our capacity on behalf of the United States government, we may file this Brief pursuant to Fed. R. App. P. 29(a). The Committee exercises oversight responsibility for both the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) and the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”). With the respect owed to a co-equal branch of government, we file this Brief to share with the Court our strongly-held views regarding the constitutional law issues in contest in this appeal and the vital public …


You Know More Than You Think: State V. Townsend, Imputed Knowledge, And Implied Consent Under The Washington Privacy Act, James A. Pautler Jan 2004

You Know More Than You Think: State V. Townsend, Imputed Knowledge, And Implied Consent Under The Washington Privacy Act, James A. Pautler

Seattle University Law Review

Townsend is worth examining for two additional reasons. First, Townsend illustrates the palpable need for the legislature to update the WPA. The underlying problem in Townsend was the application of a statute that was written in the era of rotary telephones to the issues that arise in modem electronic communications. Because of the inherent differences between electronic and traditional media, novel questions invariably arise that cannot be readily answered by resorting to existing doctrines. Finally, the plain language of the current statute has absurd results when applied to the modem infrastructure of the Internet. Part II of this Note discusses …