EPIC Files Supreme Court Brief in Electronic Privacy Case
EPIC has filed a "friend of the court" brief in the United States Supreme Court, urging the Justices to protect the privacy of public employees who use electronic communications devices. In City of Ontario v. Quon, the Supreme Court has been asked to determine whether a government employer can search the content of text messages sent from an employee's pager. EPIC's brief argues that data minimization practices should be applied to public sector searches because of the Fourth Amendment reasonableness requirement and the fact that employer-issued devices collect and store detailed personal information, including internet search history, text messages, emails, and locational data. EPIC urged the court to apply the standards set out in Comprehensive Drug Testing v. United States, which allow a government agency to undertake appropriate searches without unnecessarily violating privacy interests. For more information, see EPIC: City of Ontario v. Quon.
March 22, 2010| Share:
