California Assembly Bill 1327 (AB1327) will ban the use of drones for warrantless surveillance in California. (Click here to learn more about the bill.) Status: This bill was passed by the Assembly on January 29, 2014 and ordered to the Senate and the Senate Public Safety Committee. On May 13, 2014 the committee passed the…
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo., May 16, 2014 – Legislation to protect electronic communications and data was given final approval by the Missouri State Senate today. Because it is a proposal for a state constitutional amendment, it will now bypass the Governor’s desk, instead going directly to the People on the ballot this November. When proponents of…
ST. PAUL, Min., – May 14, 2014. A bipartisan bill that bans Minnesota law enforcement from obtaining cellphone location tracking information without a warrant passed final hurdles in the state House and Senate today. The House vote was 130-0 and the Senate vote was 63-1. SF2466 was introduced by Sen. Brandon Petersen (R-Andover) and cosponsored…
SACRAMENTO, May 12, 2014 – A bipartisan bill which creates a mechanism to turn off resources to the NSA was moved out of an important state senate committee and sent to the full Senate for consideration. Dubbed the 4th Amendment Protection Act, Senate Bill 828 (SB828) would ban the state from participating in, or providing…
On Feb. 26, H4791 was introduced to protect the electronic data of South Carolina residents from unwarranted surveillence within state lines. (learn about it here) It passed through the state house by a 89-17 margin, and was sent to the Senate Judiciary Committee. The bill will need to pass through that committee by a majority…
CONCORD, N.H., May 9, 2014 – The New Hampshire legislature has passed a bill which bans government officials from obtaining “information contained in a portable electronic device” without a warrant “signed by a judge and based on probable cause.” The House and Senate passed slightly different versions of the bill, so a conference committee was…
SB2808, a bill that prevents Illinois state government officials from obtaining location information of individuals without a warrant, was introduced on Jan. 30 by Sen. Daniel Biss (D-9). It passed through the senate unanimously, and currently resides in the House Judiciary Committee. It will need to pass through the Judiciary Committee by majority before a…
Minnesota bill HF3173 requires government entities to obtain search warrants before obtaining personal identifying information, particularly electronic data, on an individual. Status: This bill was introduced in the House on March 19, 2014 and was referred to the Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee on the same date. YOUR ACTION IS NEEDED NOW to make…
ST. PAUL, Min., – May 5, 2014. A bipartisan bill which would ban law enforcement from obtaining cellphone location tracking information without a warrant passed the Minnesota state house on Friday. The vote was 120-0. It previously passed the senate by a vote of 56-1. But since the house made technical amendments to the bill…
The key check on blanket search and seizures is the 4th Amendment requirement of a search warrant. Yet, if you read the current news, it becomes pretty clear that local, state, and federal agencies pretty much try to avoid the process like Superman avoiding kryptonite. The search warrant was intended to create a road block…