No Probable Cause Required for Cops To Access User Data From Popular Apps
“I think right now people assume they own all their data,” says Nila Bala, associate director of criminal justice and civil liberties at the R Street Institute. They “don’t realize the reach that private companies and law enforcement have on their information.”
Bala says consumers should take steps to make sure that they are aware of what information they are sharing with the apps they sign up for—and that companies should be more transparent about what kinds of information people are giving them.
And the authorities need to be transparent about how they’re treating data they obtain from these companies. “We should demand that our government follow best practices for collecting, storing, and destroying data, during and after investigations,” Bala says.
