Court rules that your 4th amendment right to privacy, especially when it comes to smart meters, is a “privilege”…(Took Ours Off 3 yrs. Ago! Blew Out a Dozen Wall Sockets!)
by: Vicki Batts
NaturalNews.com
Sunday, November 11, 2018
As smart meters make their way across the United States, a growing number of people are vocalizing concerns about the devices and consumer privacy rights. The Fourth Amendment was designed to protect Americans from government surveillance and other forms of government overreach. Now, a federal court in Illinois has ruled that right is negotiable — provided it is in the government’s best interest.
Even after officials ruled that smart meters are a form of government search and seizure, federal courts say that the information gathered by smart meters (and consequently, city-run utilities companies) is “reasonable,” and therefore not in violation of the Fourth Amendment.
As the Fourth Amendment declares:
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
Smart meters and the right to privacy
Naperville Smart Meter Awareness (NSMA) has been fighting against the forced implementation of smart meters in their city for one simple cause: There is no reason for the government to be collecting information from its citizens every 15 minutes.
Even if that “information” is simple electric usage, data collection at 15-minute intervals is unnecessary for the purpose of billing customers. As NSMA explains, citizens of Naperville have no choice when it comes to smart meters: The only way to opt-out is by opting out of public electricity entirely.
NSMA stated in their appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit:
The ever-accelerating pace of technological development carries serious privacy implications. Smart meters are no exception. Their data, even when collected at fifteen-minute intervals, reveals details about the home that would be otherwise unavailable to government officials…. . Naperville therefore ‘searches’ its residents’ homes when it collects this data.
The group contended further:
Naperville argues that its citizens sacrifice their expectation of privacy in smart-meter data by entering into a ‘voluntary relationship’ to purchase electricity from the city. This argument is unpersuasive. … a choice to share data imposed by fiat is no choice at all. … a home occupant does not assume the risk of near constant monitoring by choosing to have electricity in her home.
The Rest…HERE
