These Cameras Are Tracking Idaho Drivers

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What Are Flock Cameras And What Do They Do?

Flock cameras read license plates of every vehicle on the road. According to the Flock website, the cameras are used for record license plates, can track an incident at a specific time, and can help authorities in a tense situation such as a missing person or persons.

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Law enforcement praise the cameras as a relevant tools to help them fight the bad guys. Several states have begun rebelling against their placement arguing the cameras eliminate the Fourth Amendment. Florida has banned them on their state highways.

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An Idaho Congressman Takes Action

Congressman Russ Fulcher has sponsored legislation called the  H.R. 9716, the Protecting Rights in Video and Equipment Acquired Discovery (PRIVACY) Act. 

Here's how the bill would protect Idahoans from the invasion of privacy according to Congressman Fulcher:

• Creates a list of intrusive technologies and requires federal law enforcement to obtain a warrant before accessing or querying data from those systems.
• Limits the retention of data obtained under a warrant to 30 days, unless the data constitutes evidence in a prosecution or a court grants a limited extension.
• Prohibits the use of federal funds to purchase or install such intrusive technologies, with limited exceptions.

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Congressman Fulcher Explains the Details of the Bill

“I’m proud to sign on to this legislation to protect the privacy rights of Idahoans from increasingly intrusive surveillance data collection and to prohibit the widespread deployment of such surveillance tools with federal dollars,” said Congressman Fulcher. “It’s simple: if the federal government wants to access state and local systems’ data on citizens, they need to get a warrant.”

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The Next Move For Idaho?

Several folks in the Treasure Valley have begun to move on banning Flock Cameras. We'll continue to keep up you on this story as it develops.