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Committee advances AB 358 to let survivors consent to on‑site searches of spying devices, prosecutors and civil‑liberty groups clash
Summary
AB 358, an amendment to California’s electronic‑privacy law to let victims consent to immediate inspection of tracking or spy devices found in their homes or belongings, passed to the Appropriations Committee after debate over Fourth Amendment and oversight safeguards.
Assemblymember Alvarez’s AB 358 would narrow a statutory restriction in the California Electronic Communications Privacy Act (CalECPA) to permit law enforcement to access tracking or surveillance devices left in a victim’s private space when the victim consents. Sponsors said the change is narrowly tailored to devices whose sole purpose is surveillance, excluding general‑purpose phones or laptops, and intended to empower survivors and speed investigations.
Joel Madero, a San Diego deputy district attorney who runs a high‑tech investigative…
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