In the “Internet of Everything,” electronic devices are constantly connecting with cell towers, Internet service providers, apps and other devices. The growing use of these devices has created a particular challenge in defining reasonable expectations of privacy in their use, and in identifying appropriate legal tools to control government law enforcement surveillance. Howard W. Cox, an adjunct professor at George Washington University and former federal prosecutor, has written an article examining this issue as it applies to government use of cell-tower simulators, popularly known as StingRay devices. Prof. Cox argues that modern cell phone users cannot reasonably expect privacy in the connectivity data that their devices transmit, and that Congress must define and create any such privacy right.
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