Facebook Inc can’t problem search warrants New York prosecutors used to get info from its website on a whole lot of customers suspected of Social Security fraud, a state appeals court stated on Tuesday, in a choice possible making it more durable for New Yorkers to maintain their digital lives personal. But the case has been closely watched by social media companies, civil libertarians and prosecutors.
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Reuters reported that the warrants for 381 users’s photos, private messages and other data could only be challenged by the users themselves after prosecutors gained the evidence. The 381 warrants helped build a massive disabilities benefits fraud case against police and fire department retirees, and 108 people have pleaded guilty. Others were indicted without reliance on the Facebook warrants.
“Our holding today does not mean that we do not appreciate Facebook’s concerns about the scope of the bulk warrants issued here”, the court said. The judge serves as a “constitutional gatekeeper” who “protects citizens from the actions of an overzealous government”, the court said.
He added that the company is “considering our options to keep fighting”. Individual defendants can challenge a warrant and move for their data to be suppressed by the court, but only after prosecutors receive the evidence.
Facebook said warrants are limited to traditional physical searches, but Justice Dianne Renwick called the argument outdated. However, the company continued to pursue an appeal.
“We continue to believe that overly broad search warrants – giving the government the ability to keep hundreds of people’s account information indefinitely – are unconstitutional and raise important questions about the privacy of people’s online information”, said spokesman Jay Nancarrow.
A spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office said prosecutors had secured almost $25 million from people who were targets in the probe.
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“In many cases, evidence on their Facebook accounts directly contradicted the lies the defendants told the Social Security Administration”, Joan Vollero said.
