NJ Court Asserts Online Privacy Rights

BB reader Bubbles sez,

The New Jersey Supreme Court yesterday asserted the privacy rights of online computer users by ruling that law enforcement agencies MUST obtain jury warrants before seeking personal information from ISPs. This makes the New Jersey courts the first in the US to rule that people have an inherent expectation of privacy when online.

Link.

[#1 posted by scottfree , April 22, 2008 12:38 PM]

Citizens of New Jersey, enjoy your new hard earned year of privacy before the appeal!

[#2 posted by Jeff , April 22, 2008 12:56 PM]

Glad to hear New Jersey is leading the way! Come on New York, stop dragging your ass.

[#3 posted by The Unusual Suspect , April 22, 2008 12:57 PM]

I wonder if this will affect NJ employers' monitoring of employee e-mail and Internet use.

Employers typically assert that their employees should have NO expectation of privacy online, yet many employees do.

Anywho, congrats Jerzeeyers! Everybody else, quick! Point to NJ as precedent!

[#4 posted by Argon , April 22, 2008 1:07 PM]

#1: Heh. It'll all be annulled retroactively of course.

[#5 posted by EdT. , April 22, 2008 1:13 PM]

Harumph. Someone missed a payment somewhere (as #1 & #4 assert, it will be shortlived).

#3 - While at work and on company time I would think that they'd have no expectation of privacy at all.

[#6 posted by pantsravaganza , April 22, 2008 1:22 PM]

As opposed to the Federal 9th Circuit which just stated that the Federales can search ones laptop at the border sans warrant just as if it is your luggage.
http://volokh.com/posts/1208829306.shtml

[#7 posted by elladan , April 22, 2008 1:49 PM]

EDT #5: Exactly! Which is why most employers have toilet-cameras installed in the peon-washrooms.

[#8 posted by Agent 86 , April 22, 2008 6:08 PM]

An "inherent expectation of privacy" on the internet? If they're complete idiots, maybe.

Government screwed up, no biggie, happens all the time. Strange, though, that they screwed up in our favor.