Have you ever "Butt-Dialed" someone?

Do you know what that is?

Butt-dialing is when you put your cell phone in your pocket and the screen is not "locked", then when you move about, or sit down, you accidently hit the "redial" button, or a speed dial button.  Your phone then calls someone, who answers the phone and all they hear is silence, or a strange conversation.  The person who accidently dialed the phone normally has no knowledge that someone has been called.

But this article isn't really about the history of Butt-Dialing, but is about a recent 6th Circuit Appeals Court ruling that provides that a Butt-dialer has no expectation of privacy for any conversation being heard by the person being butt-dialed.  The 3rd party can even record the conversation.  The reason this case went to the Circuit Appeals court is that there are cases out there where the conversation overheard was used against those involved in the conversations in a criminal proceeding.

The 6th Circuit Appeals court opined that a butt-dialed conversation is the equivalent of leaving your blinds open, and it's not an invasion of your privacy for someone to look in the open window.

So if you want to ensure you don't butt-dial someone, make sure your phone is "locked" prior to putting in your pocket (or your purse).