National Law Review
7/9/2026

Chatrie + the Shrinking Third-Party Doctrine: What Data Custodians Should Watch
Short summary
The Supreme Court's Chatrie v. United States ruling narrows the third-party doctrine, requiring warrants for law enforcement to access user data held by companies like Google, even if just two hours of location history. Courts now treat hosted customer data as personally-owned information deserving Fourth Amendment protection. Businesses should review privacy policies and terms of service, as these documents increasingly determine constitutional data protection.
- •Chatrie ruling requires warrants for law enforcement to access third-party-held customer data, even brief snapshots like 2-hour location history
- •Courts now treat hosted customer data as personally-owned information deserving Fourth Amendment protection
- •Businesses must align privacy policies and terms of service with evolving constitutional data protection standards
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