The Latest in IT Security

By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday confronts the question of whether the increasing amount of deeply personal information kept on mobile devices means police officers need a warrant before they can search an arrested suspects cell phone. The nine justices are weighing cases from California and Massachusetts arising from criminal prosecutions that used evidence obtained without a warrant from a judge. According to a 2013 report by the Pew Research Center, 91 percent of adult Americans have a cell phone, more than a half of them smartphones that can connect to the Internet. Concerns about increasing government encroachment on personal privacy, especially in relation to electronic communications, has surged into the public eye over the last year in light of the disclosures made by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden about government surveillance.