From the good folks at EPIC.org:
In response to request for comments from the Maryland legislature, EPIC submitted a statement in support of a bill to prohibit law enforcement from obtaining data recorded by a smart meter without a warrant. Smart meters collect personal data about the use of utility services that can reveal when a person is at home and what they are doing. EPIC stated that “the routine collection of this data, without adequate privacy safeguards, would enable ongoing surveillance of Maryland residents without regard to any criminal suspicion.” EPIC said that HR 56 is a “model privacy law that enables innovation while safeguarding personal privacy.” EPIC has testified in Congress and submitted comments to NIST and the state of California on smart grid privacy. EPIC has also submitted amicus briefs on Fourth Amendment cases before the Supreme Court, including Carpenter v. United States and Byrd v. United States.
What I particularly enjoyed in reading the above was the preface: that a state legislature asked EPIC for their comments on a proposed bill. Would that more state legislatures ask privacy organizations for input and comments on bills.