Protect Your Cellphone

        This past week, a Rhode Island judge: "threw out cellphone evidence that lead to a man being charged with the murder of a six year old boy, saying the police needed a search warrant." The courts and state legislatures are trying to pass laws that will keep up with technology and protect peoples privacy. An Ohio court ruled that a warrant is necessary to search a cellphone because "unlike a piece of paper that might be stuffed inside a suspect's pocket can be confiscated during an arrest, a cellphone may hold 'large amounts of private data.'" I think that it is important that courts are requiring a warrant to look through cellphones because today there are so many ways to store confidential information in a cellular device. Therefore, looking through a cellphone is not just viewing contact, messages, calls, etc. it is also getting access to financial statements, confidential communications, and private images.

        Technology is now opening up areas that the law has never seen before in terms of privacy. Questions are being presented to legislatures and the courts that are forcing a reinterpretation of our laws. As we have discussed in class, civil liberties are an essential part of being an American. The Fourth Amendment protects unreasonable searches and seizures, along with requiring any warrant to be judicially sanctioned and supported by probable cause. Any private emails, texts, or voicemails where you have the expectation they will remain private. It is one thing if you are sending pictures or posting them online, but if they are strictly on your cell phone, you should have the right to privacy. The courts are trying to come up with ways of analyzing what they find in a cell phone. Some courts have compared it to what you may find in a suitcase, others are comparing it to as if they have overheard a conversation. To read more information on this topic visit this article: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/26/technology/legality-of-warrantless-cellphone-searches-goes-to-courts-and-legislatures.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 

Live Strong

       As competition in the sports world in America becomes more competitive, athletes frequently turn to steroids as a way to remain at the top of their game. As more information emerges about professional football and baseball players drug use, now the accomplishments of another set of athletes is called into question. As most of you probably know, it has recently been confirmed that Lance Armstrong used performance enhancing drugs in just about every competition he has participated in. This has obviously changed many peoples views of Lance as both a world class athlete and a role model.     

      While Lance Armstrong has definitely experienced a fall from grace, one of his accomplishments remains intact. The Lance Armstrong foundation (Livestrong) has made "an unrivaled commitment to improving the lives of cancer patients in America and around the world." When Lance was diagnosed with testicular cancer, he took a very public stand on raising awareness for cancer patients. He also focused on what life was like after surviving a life threatening illness. During the course of his career, Lance and his foundation reached out to numerous patients and became a great source of information and motivation. They were encouraged to seek second opinions and to become partners with their cancer teams. In short, many people took a more active role in their treatment as a result of what they learned through the Livestrong network. This foundation has raised $500 million over the past 15 years and has provided leadership and funding that has effected patients and their families in the development of strategies to ease the lives of people dealing with cancer. Dr. Lawrence Shulman of the Dana-Farber cancer institute states that he has worked with Lance and the foundation for almost 10 years. As he states, "There is much more to Lance than his bike, and cancer patients everywhere know this in a very personal way"(3). While I was disappointed in Lances drug use as anyone else, I still recognize his positive contribution to the lives of so many people through his foundation. Does the fact that Lance has changed the lives of so many cancer patients effect the way you view him, even in the face of his athletic disgrace? To read more on this topic visit: http://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine/2012/11/03/defense-lance-armstrong/gLoFAr4aRAfOajXWxZUdoL/story.html