In a statement, Harvard said it had authorised "a very narrow, careful, and precise subject-line search" to protect confidential student information.

BBC: Harvard University file picture

"Consequently, with the approval of the dean of FAS (Faculty of Arts and Sciences) and the University General Counsel, and the support of the dean of Harvard College, a very narrow, careful, and precise subject-line search was conducted by the University's IT department, " they added.

CNN: Harvard apologizes after secret e-mail search

Other magistrates sided with the government, agreeing that cellphone locators weren't precise enough to require a search warrant.

WSJ: Judges Challenge Phone Location Tracking

Along the top of the home screen are icons for home, battery life and a settings drop-down that offers up the date and time, a WiFI checkbox, more precise battery life reading, search and a notification showing the last time you synced your content to the cloud.

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The Justice Department recommended that prosecutors obtain search warrants when tracking phones using such "precise" technology as GPS or multiple cellphone towers, according to documents dated in 2007 obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union in a freedom-of-information request.

WSJ: Judges Challenge Phone Location Tracking

Again, scientists know the genetic area to search, but they do not know the gene's precise location.

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