Justice hopes to track suspects through cell phones without warrants; privacy groups opposed

Justice wants cell-phone locations without warrant

PHILADELPHIA — Should the government be able to track your movements based on cell-phone records, without evidence of criminal wrongdoing?

A legal showdown on the closely watched issue unfolded Friday in a federal appeals court in Philadelphia, as the Justice Department battled electronic-privacy groups.

The Justice Department wants to get the cell-phone location information without showing probable cause of a crime. Opponents say the data could show when someone visits a church, medical clinic or political rally.

Appellate Judge Dolores Sloviter wondered aloud what a rogue government might do with such information.

The appeal stems from a Pittsburgh drug-trafficking case. The judges did not indicate when they would rule.