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user-inactivated · 3447 days ago · link · · parent · post: Butt dialers beware: If you don’t lock your phone, it’s OK to eavesdrop
The general rule is, if a police officer can reasonably see it during the regular duties he is performing, it is essentially public domain. This is how the DEA justifies the mass collection of license plates, because theoretically an officer could be employed to sit there and write down all of those plates. This saves the government money by not having them employ a police officer at that corner. If the government wanted to, they could put cameras on every street lamp on every street. The legal justification has strong precedent. They only don't because policymakers don't like the idea of paying for the technology to keep a system up and running.