In a case from Iowa, the 8th Circuit Court has ruled that the warrantless search of a sex offender’s phone was not unconstitutional.In 2015, Jackson was on supervised release at an Iowa correctional reentry facility. The facility banned mobile phones but he had one anyway.
Jackson’s probation officer searched his phone without a warrant and saw a website that apparently depicted underage females. The government later secured a warrant to search the phone and found thirty-seven images of child pornography.
The court ruled the search legal on the grounds that the man did not have the expectation of privacy on his phone.