As media continues to expose the extent of warrantless surveillance by local police departments and the massive databases being compiled, politicians at the local level are beginning to sit up and ask questions.
Fred Clasen-Kelly reports from North Carolina, following recent revelations concerning the Charlotte-Mecklenberg Police Dept:
Three Charlotte City Council members said Monday they want to know how CMPD uses a secret surveillance technology that gathers data from cellphones and other wireless devices belonging to crime suspects and innocent residents alike.
Two officials – council members Claire Fallon and John Autry – said they question whether it is legal for officers to collect information from citizens who are not suspected of committing crimes.
Read more on WFAE.
Meanwhile, over in Virginia, Kathryn Watson writes:
It looks as if members of the Ben Franklin Privacy Caucus have more work to do.
Republican Delegate Richard Anderson, who co-chairs the new bipartisan personal privacy caucus along with Democratic Sen. Chap Petersen, said, “intuitively,” he thinks his fellow caucus members will want to address revelations of a cell phone records database built and maintained by five Hampton Roads-area policing agencies.
Read more on Watchdog.org