Cops Given the Right to Access Your Cell Phone in Many States.

Everyone has that one friend that emails or texts you things that you don't want. Be it a chain letter that promises doom to those who will not forward it to five other people or a picture of some young college coed doing things that would not make her parents proud.

Now imagine this scenario. Your driving down the highway, your wife is supposed to text you the address of your daughter's friend's house so you can pick your child up from a sleepover. Your phone chimes you sneak a peek  to see if it is the text you are expecting, it is not, the text is from your work buddy Simon. You put the phone down and suddenly you see blue lights in your rear-view mirror you promptly pull over and wait for the police officer. Officer Smith walks up to the car requests the standard information: license, registration, and insurance which your promptly provide and he lets you know he is pulling you over for texting and driving. You offer your explanation stating you were just checking the phone and that you never sent any messages. He demands to see your phone. You ask why because you think it would be against your right to privacy and he lets you know to hand over the phone or that he will take you to jail and impound your car.

Shaken at the harshness of Officer Smith's words you let him have the phone. He spends a minute or two going through you personal info and then asks you to step out of the car. Before you know it you are in cuffs in the back of a police cruiser being read your rights. Turns out the text Simon sent you, The one you never opened was a picture of a young looking porno actress doing something quite interesting to a cucumber. The officer believes the picture is of someone underage and  is arresting you for child pornography you protest that you never even opened that text but it falls on deaf ears. YOU ARE BEING ARRESTED........

The above story could be an extreme case but I wouldn't want to take the chance. Florida, California, Michigan, and Oregon courts have all affirmed the right of police to go through your phone with out a warrant, below is the link from CNN.  

http://articles.cnn.com/2011-05-31/tech/warrantless.phone.searches_1_cell-phone-police-search-warrant-requirement?_s=PM:TECH