Your Cellphone: Not a Stoolie

The following is a MediaNote Classic. It was originally presented to MC101 classes in June 2018.

A "Stoolie" (AKA "Stool Pigeon") is archaic American slang for a police informant. In the 1940's movie version, the cops arrest a petty thief and threaten to charge him with something serious unless he tells all he knows about the murder that police are trying to solve. The petty thief cooperates. That's a stoolie.

According to a 5-4 U.S. Supreme Court decision last week, your cellphone (under most circumstances) will not act as a stoolie. Police will have to obtain a search warrant from a judge before they can search a cellphone. NPR reports.

Questions...

•How much does your cellphone know about you? What does it know about you?

•What do you think about this ruling? Why?

•Police do not need a search warrant to search your car or a homeless person's tent. They DO need a search warrant to search your home or your cellphone? What's the difference?

•Could someone explain the differences between Libertarians (usually conservative) and traditional conservatives? How does that apply to this ruling?