What case established the legal precedent for the tension between privacy rights and phone tapping?

The case that established the legal precedent for the tension between privacy rights and phone tapping is Katz v. United States. In this landmark decision, the Supreme Court held that the Fourth Amendment protects people, not just places. The case involved an individual who was convicted based on evidence obtained from a wiretap of a public phone booth he used. The Court ruled that Katz had a reasonable expectation of privacy in the phone booth, and the government’s actions constituted a search under the Fourth Amendment.

This decision was pivotal in recognizing that modern technology, such as the telephone, carries an expectation of privacy, which must be respected. Katz v. United States set a significant standard for what constitutes a reasonable expectation of privacy, influencing subsequent cases dealing with phone tapping and other surveillance methods. It established the principle that warrantless interception of telephonic communications is generally considered an infringement on an individual’s privacy rights unless proper legal procedures are followed.