How to Tell If [sic] the Cops Put a GPS Tracker on Your Car (and What to Do Next)
4th January 2025
Lifehacker.
[I hate people who use ‘if’ when the correct word is ‘whether’.]
There are a lot of great uses for GPS tracking technology. But tracking technology gets dark fast when someone plants one on your stuff without your knowledge—like the police, who are increasingly using these devices to monitor the movements of people involved in investigations (the cops can even shoot one onto a car during a high-speed chase!). If you’re now paranoid about the cops tracking your car’s movements, here’s what you need to know.
It is 100% legal for the cops to place a tracking device on your car without your knowledge—but they must have a warrant giving them permission to do so. This was settled by the Supreme Court in United States v. Jones in 2012, which found that a warrantless GPS device violated the Fourth Amendment prohibition against illegal search.
However, attorney Andrew Flusche notes that it’s often very easy for police to get these warrants, and they can even get them issued by magistrates (who aren’t judges, and sometimes aren’t even lawyers) in some states. That means that the police can probably legally place a GPS tracker on your car even if you’ve done nothing wrong, as long as they’re willing to file the paperwork.
Of course, these trackers are easy to buy and to place by anyone, not just the police. But if you find one, you should be careful about your response.
Apparently, finding the guy who placed it there and shoving it up his (or her) ass is not encouraged.