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Senate Judiciary hears bill to bar government purchase of private electronic data without a warrant
Summary
Senate Bill 282 would prohibit state and local governments from obtaining electronic communications or related records by purchase without a search warrant; witnesses debated scope, law-enforcement and regulatory impacts but no committee action was taken.
Senate Bill 282, introduced to the Senate Judiciary Committee, would generally prohibit governmental entities from purchasing or otherwise obtaining private electronic communications and related records without a search warrant or investigatory subpoena.
The bill’s sponsor, Senator Daniel Emrich, told the committee the measure is intended to reaffirm Fourth Amendment protections at the state level. "This is...a very egregious violation of the search and seizure laws and people's constitutional rights," Emrich said, describing private commercial data purchases as a way governments can bypass warrants.
Supporters at the hearing recounted personal experiences and argued for stronger privacy protections. James King, a private citizen, said federal and local agents had used technology to obtain data from…
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