Eric Tennen quoted in article about privacy rights and cell phones

A recent ruling by a Superior Court judge implicates everyone's privacy rights. The Court allowed the police to obtain warrants for the telephone information of thousands of unknowing individuals over the course of several days--because they had no specific suspect.

Defense counsel Eric B. Tennen of Boston, however, described cell tower dumps like these as a threat to privacy rights. “The only person who would ever know [he was tracked] is a person who may eventually be prosecuted out of one of these warrants,” said Tennen. “Meanwhile, the government has data on people who may be in a public space, but also a private space. If you’re walking down the street and can be seen in public, your data may be part of that, but if you’re at home and can’t be seen, your data is part of that too.” Data for someone who was participating in a political rally, visiting an abortion clinic or attending a religious service could be part of a dump, and that person would never know, Tennen said. “I would think most people would be appalled to know the police can do that,” ​

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