No. 14-5123
Page 11
Huff, et al. v. Spaw
allowed a user to turn off the file-sharing function, but the defendant neglected to do so. The
Ninth Circuit concluded that “[t]o argue that Ganoe lacked the technical savvy or good sense to
configure LimeWire to prevent access to his pornographic files is like saying that he did not
know enough to close his drapes.” Id. at 1127.
The principle that a person does not exhibit a reasonable expectation of privacy when he
knew or should have known that the operation of a device might grant others access to his
statements or activities is applicable in the Title III context as well. In McKamey v. Roach, the
plaintiffs brought a private Title III action against the defendant for intercepting their phone
conversations where one plaintiff used a cordless phone. 55 F.3d 1236 (6th Cir. 1995). Because
Title III expressly excluded “the radio portion of a cordless telephone communication” from the
definition of wire communication at the time,6 18 U.S.C. § 2510(1) (1988), the plaintiffs sought
to characterize their conversations as oral communications. Id. at 1239. We rejected this
characterization, reasoning that the plaintiffs could not enjoy a reasonable expectation of privacy
in their cordless-phone conversations because “cordless telephone communications are broadcast
over the radio waves to all who wish to overhear,” and the plaintiffs knew or should have known
of this risk because the owner’s manual provided an explicit warning. Id. at 1239–40.
At his deposition, James Huff admitted that he was aware of the risk of making
inadvertent pocket-dial calls and had previously made such calls on his cellphone. A number of
simple and well-known measures can prevent pocket-dials from occurring.
These include
locking the phone, setting up a passcode, and using one of many downloadable applications that
prevent pocket-dials calls, see, e.g., Will Verduzco, “Prevent Unwanted Butt Dialing with Smart
Pocket
Guard,”
xdadevelopers,
Apr.
15,
2014,
available
at
http://www.xda-
developers.com/android/prevent-unwanted-butt-dialing-with-smart-pocket-guard/ (reviewing a
smartphone application designed to prevent pocket-dial calls from occurring) (last visited July 8,
2015). James Huff did not employ any of these measures. He is no different from the person
who exposes in-home activities by leaving drapes open or a webcam on and therefore has not
exhibited an expectation of privacy. See Ganoe, 538 F.3d at 1127. Having determined that
6
In 1994, Congress amended Title III to remove the cordless-phone exemption, and thus made interception
of cordless-phone conversations actionable as an interception of wire communication. COMMUNICATIONS
ASSISTANCE FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ACT, Pub. L. No. 103-414, § 202(a), 108 Stat. 4279 (1994).
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