For Immediate Release
S.T.O.P. Applauds SCOTUS Ruling Restricting Geofence Warrants
(New York, NY, 6/29/2026) – Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a New York-based privacy and civil rights group, applauds a landmark ruling from the United States Supreme Court in Chatrie v. United States restricting the use of geofence warrants, ruling that geofence warrants constitute a fourth amendment search and that individuals have a “reasonable expectation of privacy” when it comes to their cellphone location data. Since 2018, geofence warrants have quickly grown to be issued thousands of times a year, with each warrant potentially collecting data on every person in an area as large as a city. In March, the Center for Democracy & Technology, joined by S.T.O.P. and other civil rights and privacy organizations, filed an amicus brief in the case urging SCOTUS to reject the overbroad, unconstitutional surveillance tool.
SEE: S.T.O.P. Amicus Brief – Chatrie v. United States
https://www.stopspying.org/chatrie-v-united-states-geofence-warrants-amicus-brief?rq=geofence%20warrant
NPR – Supreme Court restricts use of geofence warrants
https://www.npr.org/2026/06/29/nx-s1-5844697/supreme-court-restricts-use-of-geofence-warrants
The Hill - Supreme Court sends geofence warrant case back to lower court
https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5945441-supreme-court-geofence-warrant-fourth-amendment/
"We’ve been sounding the alarm on geofence warrants for years, and this ruling is a major victory for privacy rights across the country,” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Legal Director Darío Maestro. “Geofence warrants pose a grave threat to Americans’ First Amendment rights and privacy. Without restrictions, these overbroad searches can identify every individual who attends a protest, goes to a healthcare clinic, or worships at a church or mosque. The Supreme Court declined to strike them down as unconstitutional, so it is up to lawmakers to finish the job. Congress and state legislatures can entirely outlaw these dragnet searches—along with reverse keyword warrants, which let police identify everyone who searched a given term online—and S.T.O.P. will continue to fight to make sure they do.”
SEE: Slate – The Police Surveillance Tool Too Dangerous to Ignore
https://slate.com/technology/2023/06/geofence-keyword-warrant-police-surveillance-new-york-law.html
In April 2020, the civil rights group helped introduce the nation’s first proposed ban on geofence warrants. The New York law would outlaw reverse keyword search warrants and police use of commercial databases to track location data.
SEE: S.T.O.P. – Geolocation Tracking Ban
https://www.stopspying.org/geolocation-tracking-ban?rq=geofence%20warrant
Times Union – Stop Police from Using Cellphone Location Data
https://www.timesunion.com/opinion/article/commentary-stop-police-using-cellphone-17885128.php
The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project is a non-profit advocacy organization and legal services provider. S.T.O.P. litigates and advocates for privacy, fighting excessive local and state-level surveillance. Our work highlights the discriminatory impact of surveillance on Muslim Americans, immigrants, and communities of color.
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