Mass Data, Mass Surveillance, and the Erosion of Particularity: The Fourth Amendment in the Age of Geofence Warrants and Artificial Intelligence

This report analyzes the Supreme Court’s decision to review United States v. Chatrie and evaluates whether geofence warrants and other bulk digital data seizures comply with the Fourth Amendment’s particularity requirement. It details how mass collection followed by algorithmic or discretionary filtering risks creating digital general warrants, cites examples from January 6 investigations and searches involving journalists, and flags expanding applications in immigration enforcement contexts. The piece warns that AI-enabled post-collection analysis could render particularity a formality, with profound implications for privacy and constitutional protections.