Yasir Afifi made quite the discovery when he took his car in for an oil change in Santa Clara, California. Attached to the bottom of his vehicle was a special tracking device from the FBI which did not tell the Muslim-American he was under surveillance. After a friend posted photos of the GPS equipment online, the FBI showed up at Afifi’s door, demanding their equipment back. The 20-year-old U.S.-born college student complied, and insisted he had done nothing to warrant being spied on.

 

The Afifi case follows a recent ruling by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals which gave law enforcement the power to secretly place tracking devices on suspects’ cars without getting a warrant, even if the car is parked in a private driveway. After learning of the incident with Afifi, the American Civil Liberties Union contacted him, saying they would like to represent him if he wants to challenge this new authority of the FBI’s.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

 

Caught Spying on Student, FBI Demands GPS Tracker Back (by Kim Zetter, Wired)