Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

mahatmakanejeeves

(56,897 posts)
Sat Oct 4, 2014, 03:36 PM Oct 2014

State lawmakers push for privacy rights

State lawmakers push for privacy rights

— 04 October 2014
By Kathryn Watson

The government is watching you. ... Local police in Virginia randomly collect and keep photographs of license plates. Virginia universities are testing drones and, as of next July, police and other authorities in the commonwealth will begin to use unmanned aerial devices.

It’s with that in mind that two Northern Virginia lawmakers — Democratic Sen. Chap Petersen and Republican Delegate Richard Anderson — have formed the Ben Franklin Privacy Caucus. In the months ahead, the lawmakers are looping the public into the process of forming privacy-related bills for the 2015 legislative session.

Former Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli deemed it illegal for local law enforcement to randomly scan and store license plate information without a warrant, but many localities have not heeded that legal direction. When this reporter submitted a request for any photographs of her license plate from the Alexandria Police Department, the request turned up more than a dozen photos over a six-month period.

Watchdog.org’s report went viral, and readers from around the country asked how they could track information police have on them. ... Congress has since passed legislation barring the federal government from funding plate readers, but that doesn’t mean the technology has disappeared.
....

Kathryn Watson is an investigative reporter for Watchdog.org’s Virginia Bureau, 
and can be reached at [email protected].
Latest Discussions»Region Forums»Virginia»State lawmakers push for ...