U.S. police can search a cell phone for its number without having a warrant, according to a federal appeals court ruling.
Officers in Indiana found a number of cell phones at the scene of a drug bust, and searched each phone for its telephone number. Having the numbers allowed the government to subpoena the owners' call histories, linking them to the drug-selling scheme.
lucy24
9:28 pm on Mar 1, 2012 (gmt 0)
Isn't it a bit of a conceptual leap from "learn a telephone's number" to "search"? Can't help but notice that the second step involves a subpoena, not simply "As long as we're here, let's see what they've been up to."
