Google’s Location Data Move Will Reshape Geofence Warrant Use

Google’s decision to limit its access to users’ location data will reshape police investigations well before appellate courts get a chance to rule on the constitutionality of law enforcement’s use of geofencing surveillance technology.

The Alphabet Inc. unit’s move to encrypt users’ Google Maps location history and store it on their devices, announced last week, will eventually render the company unable to fulfill geofence warrants, which typically seek to identify anyone with Google accounts who was within a given perimeter during the time of a crime.

Privacy advocates, who’ve backed the challenges to a practice they’ve labeled an unconstitutional invasion ...