The reasonable expectation of privacy extends to which of the following?

• A. Only digital data
• B. Only the contents of a locked briefcase
• C. Personal effects and papers
• D. Government records only

Answer: (C)

The part of the Fourth Amendment being tested is the reasonable expectation of privacy, which protects a person’s private belongings. This privacy extends to personal effects and papers—things like diaries, letters, wallets, bags, and other personal items that reveal private information about someone. Because society recognizes a privacy interest in these items, police generally can’t search them without a warrant or a valid exception.

Why this fits best: it covers a broad range of private items, both physical and documentary. Saying it’s limited to digital data would miss the protection that applies to physical belongings and documents as well. A locked briefcase is a personal effect, so its contents would typically be protected similarly. Government records, on the other hand, are usually public, so they aren’t described by a privacy expectation in the same way.