Geofence warrants let police demand Google hand over every phone that was near a crime scene -- suspect or not. The Supreme Court is divided. The outcome will determine whether your location history is permanently accessible to law enforcement. How Geofence Warrants Work Police identify a geographic area and time range related to a crime They subpoena Google for every device in that geofence Google returns anonymized device IDs Police narrow the list based on movement patterns For remaining devices, police request identifying information The problem: Innocent bystanders are routinely swept up. Attending a protest, visiting a clinic, or eating at a restaurant near a crime makes you a suspect. The Google Workaround Google moved geofence data storage to user devices to complicate the process. But: The data still exists Other methods (tower dumps, commercial location purchases) achieve the same result Apple restricts cellular network access to precise location data, but Android remains vulnerable FBI's Commercial Bypass The FBI also purchases location data commercially -- bypassing the warrant requirement entirely. If data is bought rather than subpoenaed, Fourth Amendment protections may not apply. Protection Disable location history in Google Account settings Use airplane mode or Faraday pouches in sensitive locations Review and delete existing location data regularly Use privacy-focused Android alternatives (GrapheneOS) or iOS with location services minimized