What's In Your (Digital) Wallet?

On April 29, the Supreme Court heard the case of a young man who was pulled over for driving a car with expired tags.

"Hmm… coulda happened to me," you think.

Sure, that or an inspection sticker, tail light out, jaywalking, whatever. What happened next is frightening. The cop who pulled him over picked up young Mr. Riley's Samsung Instinct M800 smartphone and took a look-see. There he found pictures that linked our motor vehicle violations suspect to an unsolved drive-by shooting that ultimately resulted in a murder conviction and a 15-to-life sentence.

While few of us will have sympathy for a murderer who was convicted of murder, the thought that I could be jaywalking down the street at one moment and giving the police complete and unfettered access to everything on my iPhone the next (photos, email, documents) is horrifying.

This is one more reason to have a strong password on your smartphone: Although the protection provided by a strong password might not survive a court order, it will certainly prevent the immediate disclosure of your most personal photos and emails during a routine traffic stop!

You may not have killed anyone, but is there anything on your phone that you don't need Barney Fife taking a gander at? Riley's lawyer argued that it may be one thing for cops to go through your pockets and wallet, but letting them nose through an Android or iPhone at a traffic or sidewalk stop is like giving "the police officers authority to search through the private papers and the drawers and bureaus and cabinets of somebody's house." The Court's decision may decide whether it's legal for the police to search the digital contents of your cellphone without a warrant.

Even if it's legal, it doesn't have to be easy. Even a 4-digit code is better than nothing. Maybe take a moment to lock it up, now.