The Washington State Supreme Court has ruled citizens have the right to privacy in the text messages sent from their mobile devices, the Associated Press reports. In two 5-4 decisions, justices overturned drug convictions that hinged on law enforcement access to text messages without warrants. Justice Steven Gonzalez wrote in one of the cases, “Text messages can encompass the same intimate subjects as phone calls, sealed letters and other traditional forms of communication that have historically been strongly protected under Washington law.” The Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Hanni Fakhoury said, “People have a right to have those messages delivered without fear of government intrusion or interception, and if the government wants to intrude of intercept them, they have to get a warrant or wiretap to do so.”
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