Abstract
This Note addresses cell-site location information and the third-party
doctrine while deeply analyzing the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent
decision in Carpenter v. United States. This case has proven itself quite
uninformative as it left the third-party doctrine in a state of disarray and
confusion. This Note argues that there is no Fourth Amendment
protection for information held and developed by a third-party cell phone
carrier, even with technological advances such as cell-site location
information. Because the information is produced by an individual’s cell
phone carrier stamping the individual’s phone with the location of the cell
tower from which it is pulling its service, the user has effectively
consented to such information being shared with a third party and is at
least somewhat aware that the cell-site location information, along with
the phone number dialed, can be provided to the police without a warrant.
There are effective measures, both legislative and judicial, that if
implemented will help fix these privacy issues arising out of
technological advances.