Matthew Tokson
@mtokson.bsky.social
Law professor at U. Utah, teaching criminal law and procedure, privacy, AI, cyberlaw. Views are my own. My writing is here: tinyurl.com/ycw29snm
Bio here: https://faculty.utah.edu/u6012359-Matthew_Tokson/hm/index.hml
Bio here: https://faculty.utah.edu/u6012359-Matthew_Tokson/hm/index.hml
Pinned
Matthew Tokson
@mtokson.bsky.social
· Aug 26
What is Fourth Amendment law now? My new essay, forthcoming in the Notre Dame Law Review, tries to answer that question.
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Reposted by Matthew Tokson
The Scaling Laws Roadshow continues! Yesterday, @kevintfrazier.bsky.social and @mtokson.bsky.social
had a great discussion on AI, surveillance, and privacy at
@unlcollegeoflaw.bsky.social.
had a great discussion on AI, surveillance, and privacy at
@unlcollegeoflaw.bsky.social.
September 25, 2026 at 7:26 PM
The Scaling Laws Roadshow continues! Yesterday, @kevintfrazier.bsky.social and @mtokson.bsky.social
had a great discussion on AI, surveillance, and privacy at
@unlcollegeoflaw.bsky.social.
had a great discussion on AI, surveillance, and privacy at
@unlcollegeoflaw.bsky.social.
Reposted by Matthew Tokson
My new paper forthcoming in the Notre Dame Law Review explains, among other things, how Flock cameras should be analyzed under Chatrie v. US.
Basically, it’s going to depend on how many cameras there are.
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Basically, it’s going to depend on how many cameras there are.
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
September 22, 2026 at 6:29 PM
My new paper forthcoming in the Notre Dame Law Review explains, among other things, how Flock cameras should be analyzed under Chatrie v. US.
Basically, it’s going to depend on how many cameras there are.
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Basically, it’s going to depend on how many cameras there are.
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
My new paper forthcoming in the Notre Dame Law Review explains, among other things, how Flock cameras should be analyzed under Chatrie v. US.
Basically, it’s going to depend on how many cameras there are.
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Basically, it’s going to depend on how many cameras there are.
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
September 22, 2026 at 6:29 PM
My new paper forthcoming in the Notre Dame Law Review explains, among other things, how Flock cameras should be analyzed under Chatrie v. US.
Basically, it’s going to depend on how many cameras there are.
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Basically, it’s going to depend on how many cameras there are.
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Honored to have my essay on AI and the lessons of history featured today in Luiza Jarovsky's great AI newsletter!
🚨 Can past technological developments provide a definitive answer about how AI will impact society? Should we base AI policy and regulation on specific historical examples?
September 11, 2026 at 1:24 PM
Honored to have my essay on AI and the lessons of history featured today in Luiza Jarovsky's great AI newsletter!
Reposted by Matthew Tokson
🚨 Can past technological developments provide a definitive answer about how AI will impact society? Should we base AI policy and regulation on specific historical examples?
September 11, 2026 at 12:01 PM
🚨 Can past technological developments provide a definitive answer about how AI will impact society? Should we base AI policy and regulation on specific historical examples?
Reposted by Matthew Tokson
In his paper “AI and the Lessons of History,”
@mtokson.bsky.social paints a more nuanced picture: no one person has the full picture of how a technology like AI will unfold, and multiple perspectives from different fields are necessary to inform responsible policies and effective regulation.
@mtokson.bsky.social paints a more nuanced picture: no one person has the full picture of how a technology like AI will unfold, and multiple perspectives from different fields are necessary to inform responsible policies and effective regulation.
September 11, 2026 at 12:01 PM
In his paper “AI and the Lessons of History,”
@mtokson.bsky.social paints a more nuanced picture: no one person has the full picture of how a technology like AI will unfold, and multiple perspectives from different fields are necessary to inform responsible policies and effective regulation.
@mtokson.bsky.social paints a more nuanced picture: no one person has the full picture of how a technology like AI will unfold, and multiple perspectives from different fields are necessary to inform responsible policies and effective regulation.
Reposted by Matthew Tokson
Professor @mtokson.bsky.social, a Fourth Amendment expert, is quoted in this @bloombergtax.com article about a recent Supreme Court ruling requiring the government to get a warrant to obtain cell-phone users’ location data.
Government Data Purchases in Doubt Following Geofence Ruling
The recent US Supreme Court ruling requiring the government to get a warrant to obtain cell-phone users’ location data calls into doubt whether the government can buy such information from data broker...
news.bloombergtax.com
September 10, 2026 at 4:56 PM
Professor @mtokson.bsky.social, a Fourth Amendment expert, is quoted in this @bloombergtax.com article about a recent Supreme Court ruling requiring the government to get a warrant to obtain cell-phone users’ location data.
I'm glad to see lots of law profs posting about AI and existential risk this week. Here are some law review articles we wrote about it and how the law might address it.
AI and Existential Risk - papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Systemic Regulation of AI -
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
AI and Existential Risk - papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Systemic Regulation of AI -
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Artificial Intelligence and Existential Risk
In recent years, as concerns about artificial intelligence (AI) have grown, the federal government has taken steps to eliminate the few AI regulations that once
papers.ssrn.com
September 10, 2026 at 1:05 AM
I'm glad to see lots of law profs posting about AI and existential risk this week. Here are some law review articles we wrote about it and how the law might address it.
AI and Existential Risk - papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Systemic Regulation of AI -
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
AI and Existential Risk - papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Systemic Regulation of AI -
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Reposted by Matthew Tokson
Prepping a class about the third-party doctrine and I find myself changing almost all of my notes about it to the past tense.
September 3, 2026 at 6:06 PM
Prepping a class about the third-party doctrine and I find myself changing almost all of my notes about it to the past tense.
Prepping a class about the third-party doctrine and I find myself changing almost all of my notes about it to the past tense.
September 3, 2026 at 6:06 PM
Prepping a class about the third-party doctrine and I find myself changing almost all of my notes about it to the past tense.
New on SSRN – My essay forthcoming in the Notre Dame Law Review explains the new Fourth Amendment law and applies it to internet browsing, google search history, license plate readers, pole cameras, and more.
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
September 1, 2026 at 7:27 PM
New on SSRN – My essay forthcoming in the Notre Dame Law Review explains the new Fourth Amendment law and applies it to internet browsing, google search history, license plate readers, pole cameras, and more.
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Reposted by Matthew Tokson
Now up on SSRN - My essay, forthcoming in the Notre Dame Law Review, examines the Supreme Court's new Fourth Amendment doctrine and explains how lower courts should address Fourth Amendment questions going forward.
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
August 27, 2026 at 1:43 PM
Now up on SSRN - My essay, forthcoming in the Notre Dame Law Review, examines the Supreme Court's new Fourth Amendment doctrine and explains how lower courts should address Fourth Amendment questions going forward.
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Now up on SSRN - My essay, forthcoming in the Notre Dame Law Review, examines the Supreme Court's new Fourth Amendment doctrine and explains how lower courts should address Fourth Amendment questions going forward.
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
August 27, 2026 at 1:43 PM
Now up on SSRN - My essay, forthcoming in the Notre Dame Law Review, examines the Supreme Court's new Fourth Amendment doctrine and explains how lower courts should address Fourth Amendment questions going forward.
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Reposted by Matthew Tokson
What is Fourth Amendment law now? My new essay, forthcoming in the Notre Dame Law Review, tries to answer that question.
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
August 26, 2026 at 5:13 PM
What is Fourth Amendment law now? My new essay, forthcoming in the Notre Dame Law Review, tries to answer that question.
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
What is Fourth Amendment law now? My new essay, forthcoming in the Notre Dame Law Review, tries to answer that question.
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
August 26, 2026 at 5:13 PM
What is Fourth Amendment law now? My new essay, forthcoming in the Notre Dame Law Review, tries to answer that question.
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Somehow I just found out today that our 2024 paper on the systemic regulation of AI was "highly recommended" by @lsolum's Legal Theory Blog. Better late than never!
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
August 26, 2026 at 2:14 PM
Somehow I just found out today that our 2024 paper on the systemic regulation of AI was "highly recommended" by @lsolum's Legal Theory Blog. Better late than never!
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Russia is experimenting with autonomous AI weapons that kill people without human involvement: www.nytimes.com/2026/08/24/w...
A Drone Killed Three Ukrainians. It Was Guided Entirely by A.I.
An attack by what Ukrainian officials said was a Russian drone with an Nvidia chip presages a dystopian future of weaponry untethered to humans.
www.nytimes.com
August 24, 2026 at 1:35 PM
Russia is experimenting with autonomous AI weapons that kill people without human involvement: www.nytimes.com/2026/08/24/w...
Randy Picker was one of my favorite professors at UChicago, and I'm so saddened by this unexpected news.
Terrible loss.
leiterreports.com/2026/08/16/i...
leiterreports.com/2026/08/16/i...
In Memoriam: Randal C. Picker (1959-2026)
I’m very sorry to have to report the sudden death yesterday of my esteemed colleague Randy Picker, who was well-known for his work on antitrust and intellectual property, among other topics. …
leiterreports.com
August 16, 2026 at 8:01 PM
Randy Picker was one of my favorite professors at UChicago, and I'm so saddened by this unexpected news.
The government is spying on activist groups and unions that opposed immigration crackdowns, reports the NYT.
As the article notes, this is similar to what the FBI did under Hoover in the COINTELPRO days.
www.nytimes.com/2026/08/13/u...
As the article notes, this is similar to what the FBI did under Hoover in the COINTELPRO days.
www.nytimes.com/2026/08/13/u...
U.S. Investigated Left-Leaning Groups During Minnesota Immigration Crackdown
The government conducted expansive surveillance, infiltrated group chats and obtained financial records of organizations never accused of crimes.
www.nytimes.com
August 13, 2026 at 7:37 PM
The government is spying on activist groups and unions that opposed immigration crackdowns, reports the NYT.
As the article notes, this is similar to what the FBI did under Hoover in the COINTELPRO days.
www.nytimes.com/2026/08/13/u...
As the article notes, this is similar to what the FBI did under Hoover in the COINTELPRO days.
www.nytimes.com/2026/08/13/u...
I appeared on the Dateline NBC True Crime Weekly Podcast to discuss geofencing and the Fourth Amendment.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/m...
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/m...
Mysterious death of Mississippi Black teen. Doctor's ex-wife allegedly plots his murder. Plus, geofencing.
Podcast Episode · Dateline: True Crime Weekly · July 16 · 32m
podcasts.apple.com
July 22, 2026 at 1:54 PM
I appeared on the Dateline NBC True Crime Weekly Podcast to discuss geofencing and the Fourth Amendment.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/m...
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/m...
Reposted by Matthew Tokson
As many know, @bjard.bsky.social and I have been drafting a Technology Law coursebook for a few years. We've used it to teach classes at three institutions, including Yale Law School, and others have used chapters in their techlaw classes.
We're excited to share the current version more broadly!
We're excited to share the current version more broadly!
September 2, 2025 at 4:45 PM
As many know, @bjard.bsky.social and I have been drafting a Technology Law coursebook for a few years. We've used it to teach classes at three institutions, including Yale Law School, and others have used chapters in their techlaw classes.
We're excited to share the current version more broadly!
We're excited to share the current version more broadly!
Reposted by Matthew Tokson
Chapter 10 unpacks the Precautionary Approach, including bans (I finally got to write about AWS!), general critiques (@casssunstein.bsky.social), and variations (moratoriums, licensing regimes, burden-shifting, etc) (Sachs). It closes with a GenAI X-risk case study (@mtokson.bsky.social).
TL Chapter 10: The Precautionary Approach
Technology Law Chapter 10: The Precautionary Approach BJ Ard and Rebecca Crootof Last updated May 2026. Comments welcome! Cite as: BJ Ard & Rebecca Crootof, The Precautionary Approach, in Technology ...
docs.google.com
July 20, 2026 at 2:08 PM
Chapter 10 unpacks the Precautionary Approach, including bans (I finally got to write about AWS!), general critiques (@casssunstein.bsky.social), and variations (moratoriums, licensing regimes, burden-shifting, etc) (Sachs). It closes with a GenAI X-risk case study (@mtokson.bsky.social).
If Chatrie transformed Fourth Amendment law, then what is Fourth Amendment law now? In the second part of a trilogy of blog posts on the Chatrie case, I offer a potential answer.
www.dorfonlaw.org/2026/07/what...
www.dorfonlaw.org/2026/07/what...
July 15, 2026 at 6:06 PM
If Chatrie transformed Fourth Amendment law, then what is Fourth Amendment law now? In the second part of a trilogy of blog posts on the Chatrie case, I offer a potential answer.
www.dorfonlaw.org/2026/07/what...
www.dorfonlaw.org/2026/07/what...
Reposted by Matthew Tokson
In the final essay of his 3-part series on Chatrie v US, @mtokson.bsky.social puts the case in larger context: SCOTUS has rejected calls to reconceptualize 4th Amendment rights in property terms and provided a firm constitutional basis for protecting privacy against new technological threats. 👇
Chatrie and the Supreme Court's Embrace of Privacy Doctrine
I've been blogging here ( and here ) recently about Chatrie v. United States , the Supreme Court's landmark Fourth Amendment case decided l...
www.dorfonlaw.org
July 15, 2026 at 12:54 PM
In the final essay of his 3-part series on Chatrie v US, @mtokson.bsky.social puts the case in larger context: SCOTUS has rejected calls to reconceptualize 4th Amendment rights in property terms and provided a firm constitutional basis for protecting privacy against new technological threats. 👇
Reposted by Matthew Tokson
Chatrie v US was the first major SCOTUS 4th Amendment privacy ruling in 8 years. As @mtokson.bsky.social explains on the blog in the 2nd of a 3-part series on the case, it also established a new--sensible and protective--test for determining when surveillance requires probable cause and a warrant. 👇
What is Fourth Amendment Law Going Forward?
Last week, I blogged here at Dorf on Law about Chatrie v. United States , the Supreme Court’s first major Fourth Amendment case in eight ye...
www.dorfonlaw.org
July 13, 2026 at 11:17 AM
Chatrie v US was the first major SCOTUS 4th Amendment privacy ruling in 8 years. As @mtokson.bsky.social explains on the blog in the 2nd of a 3-part series on the case, it also established a new--sensible and protective--test for determining when surveillance requires probable cause and a warrant. 👇