Watching You Through Your Money

To pay for his prostitute, former New York governor Eliot Spitzer sent wire transfers to a shell company that was a front for the prostitution ring. His bank noticed the transactions, and gave information about them to the federal government. That might seem reasonable in the Spitzer case. After all, we certainly don't want elected officials in high office engaging in illegal activity. But, what about the Fourth Amendment, which states in fairly clear language: "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated...." As ABC News points out, the Fourth Amendment no longer seems to apply to financial transactions. Read more...

Posted by Editor at March 21, 2008 06:09 PM