Mobile Cell Phone Subpoena Information

Authorities need a subpoena to look into phone records.

Some "data brokers" skirt federal and state privacy statutes by masquerading as a subscriber to get cell phone records. As of 2010, you usually must have a court-ordered subpoena to obtain cell phone information.

Identification

Government agencies, such as the police, can subpoena your cell phone records after receiving a warrant from a judge, according to Lawyers.com. The records include who you call, when you call someone and information in texts.

Considerations

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National Security Agency do not need to a warrant before obtaining a subpoena for your cell phone records if it helps prevent terrorism under the 2001 Patriot Act. The FBI and NSA can also eavesdrop on your conversation.

Warning

PCWorld warns consumers that the requirements for subpoenas are not as strong or clear for cell phones as they are for landlines. Even illegal wiretapping does not violate free speech laws when the conversation contains information related to the public interest.

References

• "TIME": Are the Police Digging into Your Phone Records?
• Lawyers.com: Cell Phone Privacy
• PCWorld: Who's Been Reading My Cell-phone Records?