Warrantless cellphone tracking: Federal judge kicks DEA's stingray evidence to the curb

Hey, DEA, get a stinking warrant to pinpoint a suspect's precise location via stingray cell phone surveillance devices; otherwise the search is unconstitutional. In fact, for the first time a federal judge threw out evidence obtained via the warrantless use of a stingray cell-site simulator, ruling that the search violated Fourth Amendment rights that guarantee people are secure in their homes from unreasonable searches and seizures.

No matter what you call a cell-site simulator – a Stingray, TriggerFish, Hailstorm – if the device is used without a warrant to pinpoint a suspect’s location, then that is an unreasonable search. US District Judge William Pauley said, “Absent a search warrant, the government may not turn a citizen's cell phone into a tracking device.”

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