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The Feds Are Monitoring Messaging Apps, and Some Are Shockingly Unsecure
by Anthony W. Accurso
On January 7, 2021, the FBI published a document entitled “Lawful Access,” detailing what information is available from various online messaging platforms and providing guidance to various law enforcement agencies on how such data can be obtained through procedures already authorized for investigative purposes.
The document ...
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More from this issue:
- Blue Lies Matter, by Nia T. Evans
- Missouri Supreme Court: Witness’ Two-Way Live Video Feed Testimony Violates Confrontation Clause, by Jacob Barrett
- Federal Habeas Corpus: Jurisdictional Pitfalls When Seeking Habeas Relief, by Dale Chappell
- New Jersey Supreme Court: Description of Race and Gender of Robbery Suspects, Without More, Doesn’t Constitute Reasonable Suspicion for Investigatory Traffic Stop of Black Motorists, by Mark Wilson
- Commentary: Attacking the Guilty Plea—Court Cautions More Time Possible in Child Porn Case if Post-Conviction Motion Successful, by Dale Chappell
- SCOTUS: No Procedural-Default Exceptions to Excuse Federal Habeas Evidentiary Hearing Bar, by Dale Chappell
- Ohio Supreme Court: Constitutionality of Indeterminate Sentence Under Reagan Tokes Law May Be Challenged on Direct Appeal, by David M. Reutter
- Idaho Supreme Court: Telephonic Testimony Violated Defendant’s Sixth Amendment Right to Confrontation, by David M. Reutter
- Ninth Circuit Holds Statute Criminalizing Encouraging or Inducing Alien to Reside in U.S. Is Overbroad and Facially Unconstitutional, by Mark Wilson
- Federal Prosecutors Directed to Stop Obtaining Compassionate Release Waivers From Defendants During Plea Agreements and to Not Enforce Previously Obtained Waivers, by Harold Hempstead
- Cop Training Other Cops to Use Facial Recognition to ID Individuals During Traffic Stops, by Anthony Accurso
- Seventh Circuit: District Court’s Failure to Exercise Discretion After Erroneously Finding Defendant Ineligible for Relief Under First Step Act Was Abuse of Discretion, by Douglas Ankney
- Seventh Circuit Vacates Sentence Where District Court’s Rationale for Defendant’s Offense Level Unclear, by Douglas Ankney
- Supreme Court of Iowa: Sentence Vacated Because Prosecution Failed to Follow Spirit of Plea Agreement Requiring Recommendation of Suspended Sentence, by David M. Reutter
- California Court of Appeal: Trial Court Violated Humphrey by Setting High Bail Without Considering Financial Condition of Defendant or Nonfinancial Conditions of Release, by Matthew Clarke
- U.S. Treasury Bypasses Fourth Amendment by Buying Location Data for Law Enforcement Purposes, by Anthony Accurso
- Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Announces Coty’s ‘Inference-of-Falsity’ Framework Extended to Apply to Police Officers With Established History of Falsifying Evidence in Drug Cases, by Richard Resch
- The Feds Are Monitoring Messaging Apps, and Some Are Shockingly Unsecure, by Anthony Accurso
- Cops in Virginia Beach Used Fake DNA Reports During Interrogations, by Douglas Ankney
- Tenth Circuit Vacates Special Conditions of Supervised Release Where District Court Failed to Make Appropriate Findings and Provide Adequate Explanation, by Douglas Ankney
- Fourth Circuit: Good Cause Not Required to Withdraw Consent to Magistrate Judge’s Jurisdiction Prior to Other Parties Consenting, by Harold Hempstead
- Kentucky Supreme Court: Traffic Stop Impermissibly Extended Where Officer Stopped Writing Citation to Aid Drug-Detection Dog’s Sniff of Vehicle’s Exterior, by Anthony Accurso
- New Jersey Supreme Court: Youth May Be Considered as a Mitigating Factor but Not Aggravating Factor in Sentencing, by David Reutter
- Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Announces Overruled Motion for New Trial May Be Amended With Court’s Leave Within 30-Day Period After Sentenced Imposed, by Matthew Clarke
- Tenth Circuit Announces District Court Abused Discretion by Imposing Harsher Sentence Based on Defendant’s Decision to Plead Guilty Without Plea Agreement, by David Reutter
- Expert Forensic Testimony Flawed by Implicit Racial Bias, by Casey Bastian
- Oregon Becomes 38th State to Enact Wrongful Conviction Compensation Law, by Mark Wilson
- Federal Officers Can Violate Civil Rights With Near Impunity - Supreme Court’s Refusal to Consider New Bivens Contexts Provides Protection to Those Who Abuse Their Authority, by Casey Bastian
- Organization Created Platform to Log Police Misconduct in North Carolina, by Ashleigh Dye
- A Union Scandal Landed Hundreds of NYPD Officers on a Secret Watchlist. That Hasn’t Stopped Some From Jeopardizing Cases., by Jake Pearson
- Police Outsourcing Reduces Transparency, by Anthony Accurso
- COVID-19 Measures Do Not Interfere with Jurors’ Ability to Distinguish Between Truth and Lies, by Casey Bastian
- The Right to be Forgotten, by David Reutter
- Oregon Bans Pre-Conviction Mugshot Public Disclosure, by Mark Wilson
- Racially Disparate Sentencing Patterns Prevalent Amongst Federal Judges, by Casey Bastian
- What Happened When Oakland Tried to Make Police Pay For Misconduct Decades Ago, by Akintunde Ahmad
- Council of State Governments Initiates Efforts to Reduce Barriers to Employment for the Formerly Incarcerated, by Douglas Ankney
- News in Brief
More from Anthony Accurso:
- Sixth Circuit Holds Dismissal Not Automatic When Plaintiff Simultaneously Files Same Claims in State Court, Aug. 1, 2025
- Delaware’s ACLU Files Action on Behalf Of Six Prisoners Assaulted During Midnight Raid, Aug. 1, 2025
- DOJ Inspects BOP Food Service Operations, Finds Troubling Issues at Multiple Facilities, Aug. 1, 2025
- Guaranteed Basic Income Programs for Prisoners Reduce Food Insecurity and Homelessness, Aug. 1, 2025
- Ninth Circuit: ‘Dominion and Control’ Provision of Search Warrant for Suspect’s Computer That Lacked Temporal or Other Limitation Constitutes General Warrant, Aug. 1, 2025
- Nearly $60,000 Awarded to Mother Of Dead Missouri Prisoner In Suit For His DOC Records, July 15, 2025
- $42,000 Paid to Wisconsin Prisoner Allowed to Harm Himself While Under Observation, July 15, 2025
- Ongoing Detainee Deaths Push Rikers Island into Federal Court Receivership, July 15, 2025
- The Dangerous Practice of Late-Night Jail Releases, July 15, 2025
- Percentage Of Prisoners Serving Life Without Parole Is Up Despite Overall Decrease in Prison Population, July 15, 2025
More from these topics:
- Special Digital Currencies Issue: Bitcoin and CBDCs What Is Bitcoin? The Answer to Government Surveillance and Control Through Money An Essential Introduction, Glossary of Multidisciplinary Terminology, and Colorful History, Aug. 15, 2025. Money/Property, Police State-Surveillance, Electronic Surveillance, Money Laundering/Structuring.
- From the Editor, Aug. 15, 2025. Money/Property, Police State-Surveillance, Electronic Surveillance, Money Laundering/Structuring.
- Central Bank Digital Currencies: Trojan Horses Delivering Mass Surveillance Under the Guise of Monetary Innovation, Aug. 15, 2025. Money/Property, Police State-Surveillance, Electronic Surveillance, Money Laundering/Structuring.
- The Arrival of REAL ID: National ID Cards and Internal Passports in America, Aug. 1, 2025. Police State-Surveillance.
- The Quiet Transformation of Government Data into a Mass Surveillance Tool, Aug. 1, 2025. Police Searches, Police State-Surveillance, Electronic Surveillance.
- DEA’s Secret Phone Surveillance Program ‘Hemisphere’ Sparked Internal Warnings—Then a Cover-Up, Aug. 1, 2025. Police State-Surveillance, Electronic Surveillance, Privacy Act/Rights.
- Driverless Vehicles Are the Newest Mass Surveillance Tool of Law Enforcement, July 1, 2025. Police State-Surveillance, Electronic Surveillance, Recordings.
- New Orleans Police Continue Using Facial Recognition Despite City Restrictions, July 1, 2025. Police State-Surveillance, Cell-Site-Location Records, Electronic Surveillance, Authorization.
- Facial Recognition at the Border: CBP’s Push to Scan Every Car Passenger Sparks Privacy Concerns, May 15, 2025. Police State-Surveillance, Electronic Surveillance, Privacy Act/Rights, Searches - Border Stops/Searches, Immigration Law/Offenses.
- Car Subscriptions: Another Means of Mass Surveillance by Law Enforcement, May 15, 2025. Vehicle Searches, Internet, Police State-Surveillance, Electronic Surveillance.