Monday, October 13, 2014

Huff Butt Dial Blues

If a person accidentally calls someone from their cell phone, do they have a right to privacy protecting any conversation heard on the other end? The courts don’t think so.

Jim Huff, then chairman of the Kenton County (Kentucky) Airport Board, which manages Cincinnati’s international airport, was at a conference in Italy on October 24, 2013, when he unintentionally dialed airport offices while his phone was in his pocket and reached Carol Spaw. Spaw listened to Huff’s conversation for 90 minutes, even writing down some of his remarks and passing them along to a third party.

Huff claimed Spaw’s actions violated his right to privacy, since he never intended to “pocket dial” her in the first place.

But a federal judge didn’t agree, ruling individuals don’t have a reasonable expectation of privacy due to the common problem of pocket dialing and “butt calls.” (more) (sing-a-long)