I see TWO fundamental points. Apparently most of you don't.
Fundamental point one -- did the warrant give the police right to demand the information from Liberty?
As I said, that's a question for lawyers and the courts to decide if the target of this action wants to push the issue that overreach on the part of the police is cause for the entire warrant to be invalidated.
Fundamental point two -- Liberty's position with its customers
Liberty's actions, and how its customer base interprets/perceives those actions, are a consumer/producer issue that has little to nothing to do with the warrant issue other than the fact that Liberty willing exposed information to its customers. That's potentially a tort issue if someone/group of someones wants to take it that far.
Warrants do not give police rights.
Warrants excuse transgressions.
The first place they do so is the actual search of the place in question, and the seizure of whatever evidence the police are looking for. The second place they do so is the introduction of that evidence into a trial. Evidence seized from a person's home absent a warranted search or exigent circumstances permitting the immediate entry and search is inadmissible at trial.
Warrants are also not a cart blanche for law enforcement to demand facilitation by every person under the sun. They are (supposed to be at least) narrow in scope and generally describe an intent to search, not a declaration of a forfeiture of knowledge. That becomes a Fifth Amendment issue that is still unresolved at the SCOTUS level but has been addressed in some Circuit Courts, as well as one State level case I came across at the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. So far the consensus seems to be that biometrics can be forfeited forcibly, but personal knowledge (encryption codes, safe codes, etc) is protected by the Fifth Amendment. Also, personal knowledge (my own safe's code) is protected, but commercial/trade knowledge (Liberty's knowledge of safe master codes for all customers) is not protected if the courts issue a warrant at a commercial entity.
Did you brush the bootblack off your tongue from your meeting?
