SB 226: Protecting Privacy for Vehicle Location Data

This bill passed both chambers of the legislature unanimously. Review our tracker for more information.

Senate Bill 226, sponsored by Representative Todd Weiler, solidifies privacy in electronic data by removing automobiles from the exception to warrant requirement. This means data stored in vehicles cannot be searched without a valid warrant.

Under current law, traditional judicial warrants are exempted from the warrant requirement. This leaves a loophole in the law because vehicles store increasingly large amounts of digital data. By closing this loophole, digital information is protected from warrantless searches based on legal theories predating the internet age.