Court: OK To Track Innocent Citizens With Hidden GPS Devices

Police can attach GPS to cars to secretly track anybody's movements without obtaining search warrants, a Wisconsin appeals court has ruled.

In a unanimous decision, the court said police can mount GPS devices on cars to track people without violating their constitutional rights -- even if the drivers aren't suspects in a crime. "Police are seemingly free to secretly track anyone's public movements with a GPS device," Judge Paul Lundsten wrote.

One privacy advocate said the decision opened the door for greater government surveillance of citizens. Law enforcement officials called the decision a victory for public safety because tracking devices are an increasingly important tool in investigating criminal behavior.

Of course, when the first abuses start rolling in (like when cops begin harassing the boyfriends of their teenage daughters, or start tracking their ex-wives, or stalk women pulled over for traffic violations, for example) nobody will have the good sense to question whether it was a good idea to begin with.