Policy Observatory
People have a Fourth Amendment right to privacy when it comes to their genetic material, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) argues in an amicus brief filed this week with the Supreme Court of the United States.
EFF is asking the Supreme Court to hear arguments in Raynor v. State of Maryland, a case that examines whether police should be allowed to collect and analyze "inadvertently shed" DNA without a warrant or consent, such as swabbing cells from a drinking glass or a chair. EFF argues that genetic material contains a vast amount of personal information that should receive the full protection of the Constitution against unreasonable searches and seizures.
The US government prosecuted a South Korean businessman for illegally selling technology used in aircraft and missiles to Iran. The authorities exercised the border exception rule that allows to seize and search goods and people—without court warrants—along the border and at airport international terminals.
The court ruled that the authorities illegally seized the businessman's computer at Los Angeles International Airport and that the initial seizure cannot be justified.