No penalties when deputies share a woman’s nudes after illegal phone search
Hayley Olson took a trip out of state. In Oregon, she ran a legal marijuana dispensary, but she was stopped by Idaho state police and arrested for marijuana possession.
She agreed to a search, and Idaho police made an image of her cell phone.
Grant County Sheriff Glenn Palmer obtained a copy from Idaho, claiming to be concerned that the deputy whom Olson was dating might somehow be implicated. Grant County Attorney Jim Carpenter decided to look through the image, using tools from digital forensics company #Cellebrite.
Olson sued both men for unlawful search & seizure under the #FourthAmendment.
#9thCircuit judges lambasted the behavior of the Oregon authorities, but found that Palmer was exempt from penalties because he had not conducted the search. Carpenter was found to have “qualified immunity” from prosecution as a government employee.
Ars Technica / https://archive.fo/tTBxZ #Privacy #Police