Gov. Brown: Sign Bill Outlawing Warrantless Smartphone Searches
The Governor should sign this bill. Warrants are not a big obstacle to an investigation
Opinion • September 2011 • Views: 743
ANALYSIS — There’s a bill sitting on the desk of California Governor Jerry Brown, which if signed would ban police from searching the mobile devices of people arrested for a crime.
Instead, police would need to get a warrant from a judge to search a person’s smartphone or tablet, the same as they would if they wanted to search someone’s house or home computer. The governor has until October 9 to sign or veto the bill, but his office is giving no indication which way he’s leaning.