After we break secret DoJ cellphone program story, AT&T distances itself from feds. Coincidence? Yeah, probably http://t.co/lW0BXqEuQJ
— Devlin Barrett (@DevlinBarrett) November 19, 2014◼ AT&T Enters Legal Fray Over Location Data
The high court ruled that the government could pull phone records without probable cause because they were business records held by the phone companies, and not private documents.
AT&T, in a friend-of-the-court brief filed Monday in an appeals-court case, said the high court’s reasoning applies poorly “to how individuals interact with one another and with information using modern digital devices.’’
“Nothing in those [prior court] decisions contemplated, much less required, a legal regime that forces individuals to choose between maintaining their privacy and participating in the emerging social, political, and economic world facilitated by the use of today’s mobile devices or other location-based services,’’ the company said.
A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment.
