Scholar Argues Filter-Based Test For Data Scans
A law professor published 'Data Scanning and the Fourth Amendment' in the Boston College Law Review, arguing that Fourth Amendment consequences of government database scans should be determined by filter settings rather than database size or raw output. The piece evaluates geofence warrants, reverse keyword searches, tower dumps, and AI queries, and notes the Supreme Court will hear United States v. Chatrie with oral argument April 27, which may resolve the split on warrants for large-scale data scans.
Key Points
- 1Argues filter settings determine scope of Fourth Amendment searches in government database scans
- 2Because exposure to human observation better captures privacy intrusions than raw data throughput or database size
- 3Impacts geofence warrants, reverse keyword searches, tower dumps, and AI query surveillance practices
Scoring Rationale
Strong legal analysis and direct policy relevance; limited empirical novelty beyond proposing a filter-focused doctrinal test.
Sources
Public references used for this report.
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