Brief filed: 03/06/2024
Documents
Oregon v. Simons
Supreme Court of the State of Oregon; Case No. 2070787
Prior Decision
Decision below, Lane Cty. Cir. Ct., No. 19-CR-43543
Argument(s)
Internet users have a reasonable expectation of privacy in their internet browsing histories. Internet use is essential for participation in modern life, and browsing histories contain the “privacies of life” that the Fourth Amendment was designed to protect from warrantless government intrusion. The fact that people click “I agree” to terms of service presented by an internet service provider to access the internet does not undermine their reasonable expectation of privacy. Even when the terms of service contain a monitoring clause, such agreements are commercially motivated and exist between two private parties. They do not constitute a waiver of constitutional rights. For these reasons, warrantless surveillance of browsing history is unconstitutional.
Author(s)
Nicola Morrow and Mike Price, NACDL, Washington, DC; Andrew Crocker, Electronic Frontier Foundation, San Francisco, CA; Justin Rosas, NACDL, Medford, OR.
