If you get pulled over by the Michigan State Police, , courtesy of handheld phone cloners that are designed for forensics use but which the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) claims are being used by patrol officers.

The ACLU has asked to see logs for any devices used this way, and the Michigan State Police responded by demanding half a million dollars to pay for retrieving the information. The ACLU has replied with a public letter () mentioning constitutional rights and litigation, and that's where the matter rests at the moment.

It's alleged that the police force is using devices out in the field. The handheld tool can quickly clone the data stored on , even if that data is protected by a PIN. It can even access deleted data no longer accessible by the owner of the phone.

It should be noted that, in a , somebody claiming to be a former Michigan State Police officer says the ACLU has got it wrong, and that the police gave only five of the units, used in the forensic labs only after an arrest has taken place.

Whatever the case, the advice is simple: If you're stopped by the police and they ask if they can search your phone, simply refuse. The ACLU implies that state police in Michigan are cloning phones not by forcing people to hand them over, but simply by asking. Remember that they might phrase the request obscurely--such as, "Do you mind if we take a quick look at your phone?"-- so be on your guard. However, the is still being hashed out in the courts.