If you’re tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. A church in California punished during Covid lockdowns with a fine of $1.2 million is now suing over geofencing-based surveillance of its members. The church, Calvary Chapel San Jose, along with Pastor Mike McClure, allege in the federal lawsuit filed this week that Santa Clara County engaged in warrantless and invasive surveillance, using the geofencing method and thus abusing location data harvested from the worshipers’ phones. The filing is based on claims that both First Amendment related to free speech, and the Fourth Amendment, meant to protect against unlawful searches, were violated by the county as it resorted to spying via geofencing. We obtained a copy of the complaint for you here. Advocates for Faith & Freedom, a group that filed the lawsuit, specified that the county turned to SafeGraph data company in order to carry out this activity, and accuses the officials behind the scheme as engaging in tracking of residents not only without appropriate warrants and in an invasive manner, but also keeping this activity a secret from the public. “This type of expansive geofencing operation is not only an invasion of privacy but represents a terrifying precedent if allowed to go unaddressed,” the complaint states. “As it stands, Defendants assert that, as long as they call it research, any level of government can target and spy on any individual or group at any time for any duration.” Related: Geofence Warrants Are Dangerous…California Church Fined For Defying Covid Lockdowns Sues County For Tracking Worshipers Without Their Knowledge
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