This was a huge week for location privacy rights. In a 5-4 ruling, the Supreme Court has ruled that law enforcement must now obtain a warrant to obtain your cell phone location history. You cell provider knows where you are 24/7 and keeps records of your whereabouts that can go back for years. Until this ruling, this location information was considered to be unprotected and could be freely provided to law enforcement without notice or permission.
In related news, all major US cellular providers have voluntarily terminated agreements to provide your location to third party vendors due to several recent cases of abuse. On the other hand, Apple’s new iOS 12 will come with a feature that will automatically send detailed location information to 911 operators when you make an emergency call. We’ll talk about how end-to-encryption in WhatsApp has allowed girls in ISIS-controlled Syria to maintain their schooling. And if you have a really old web browser, it’s time to update it - at least if you still want to shop online!