Cops, ACLU clash over GOP bill that would limit cellphone tracking

Law enforcement and civil libertarians clashed Thursday over a GOP-backed bill to limit how law enforcement can track individuals using their mobile phones. The Geolocation Privacy and Surveillance Act, sponsored by Reps. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) and Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), would require law enforcement officials to obtain a warrant based on probable cause before tracking individuals using geolocation data from their mobile phones. But at a hearing of the House Judiciary subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security, Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association President John Ramsey complained that the bill was “overly broad” and would hinder law enforcement.

Ramsey said requiring warrants for tracking could be the start of a slippery slope. “What is the next step?” he asked. “Are we going to do away with grand jury subpoenas and move to the issuance of search warrants for companies to disclose corporate and financial records? Who are we protecting with this legislation,” he asked, “the innocent or the criminals?”