Facebook wins court battle over law enforcement access to encrypted phone calls

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A federal judge in California ruled this month that the government cannot force Facebook to break the encryption on its popular Messenger voice app in a criminal case in which agents wanted to intercept a suspect’s conversations, according to several individuals familiar with the case.

The decision, which remains under seal, dealt a setback to the Justice Department, which sought to compel Facebook to figure out how to give it access to the encrypted communications.

It is a welcome development, however, for tech firms as they try to fend off government pressure to design their devices and services to accommodate surveillance while they build stronger encryption to safeguard their customers’ privacy.

Read More from the Washington Post Here

Phone evidence against ex-police ballistics expert is tossed

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A judge has tossed out cellphone evidence that prosecutors were hoping to use against the former chief firearm ballistics expert for the Delaware State Police.

State police in January obtained a court order under Delaware’s wiretap statute compelling disclosure of Carl Rone’s cellphone records as they investigated allegations that he falsified time sheets. The information included historical call detail records, with cell site location information, or CSLI, for a two-year period from January 2016 to January 2018.

Rone was suspended from his duties in January and indicted in May on one count of felony theft and one count of falsifying business records. His trial is scheduled for Oct. 29. Authorities allege that Rone submitted time sheets for 79 days in 2016 and 2017 when he did not report for work.

Read More from the Washington Post Here

MetroPCS Prepaid Service Rebrands as ‘Metro by T-Mobile’

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In an effort to give consumers more confidence about its prepaid service’s network, T-Mobile has rebranded MetroPCS as “Metro by T-Mobile.”

The new brand launches next month, along with updated pricing options including a $60-per month unlimited plan that now comes with an Amazon Prime membership and Google One cloud storage.  In a video blog announcing the news, T-Mobile CEO John Legere said prepaid services suffer from outdated perceptions of things like limited coverage. The carrier hopes to emphasize that the new brand is powered by T-Mobile’s LTE network.

Read More from ECN Here

Three state-level cases will shape cellphone privacy law

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Three technology privacy cases coming before the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court this month will begin to clarify how a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling affects law enforcement access to cellphone records and wireless data.

Why it matters: These are the first tests of how the Supreme Court’s ruling in Carpenter v. United States — which decided that law enforcement must obtain a search warrant before getting cellphone location data — will be applied in cases around the country. The verdicts will set the tone for how cases like these are handled around the country.

Read More from Axios Here

Anonymous tip, cell phone records, prison calls help detectives solve 7-year-old murder case

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A city judge has upheld charges against four Philadelphia men, accused of killing a man nearly seven years ago in what authorities say is a case of mistaken identity. An anonymous tip, police say, led them to an eyewitness, while prison phone records pulled it all together.

Chad Rannels, Michael Blackson, Semaj Armstead and Rahshawn Combs are each charged with murder in the shooting death of Kevin Drinks in December of 2011.

Prosecutor Lou Tumolo calls it a case of mistaken identity.

Read More from KTW1060 New Radio Here