Saturday, December 24, 2005

US News reports that law enforcement monitored mosques and muslim homes for radioactivity without warrants

More information is coming out about the use of warrantless surveillance in the United States as part of the war on terrorism. One of the latest revelations comes from US News and World Report, which reports that US law enforcement have used radiation monitors to look for radioactive materials at mosques and the homes of muslims in the US. See: USNews.com: Nation and World: EXCLUSIVE: Nuclear Monitoring of Muslims Done Without Search Warrants (12/22/05).

This sort of surveillance raises some different issues than wiretapping or wholesale surveillance of communications. Is there an expectation of privacy in incidential emissions from your property? Is this different from infrared imaging (Supreme Court of Canada considers different species of personal privacy) or alcohol detectors (Alcohol sensor an invasion of privacy?)?

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