PENNSYLVANIA (WTAJ) \u2014 With the rise of electronic data collection, a representative wants to establish safeguards for automated surveillance technologies to protect citizen’s Fourth Amendment rights.<\/p>\n
In a memo<\/a> circulated by Rep. David Rowe (R- Juniata\/Mifflin\/Snyder\/Union), the two-bill package would require a government agency to obtain a warrant before using information from automated license plate readers (ALPRs), and require ALPRs to be identified by signage.<\/p>\n “When combined across multiple systems,” said Rowe, “facial-recognition records and other personally identifiable information can provide the government with a detailed picture of an individual’s life \u2013 including where a person lives and works, whom the person associates with, the places of worship or political events the person attends, and even when the person seeks medical care or legal advice.”<\/p>\n The bill would also allow local governments to pass an ordinance placing a temporary ban on ALPRs within its boundaries.<\/p>\n Get the latest news, weather forecasts and sports stories delivered straight to your inbox! Sign up for our newsletters<\/a>.<\/p>\n “Without clear guardrails,” said Rowe, “these emerging technologies could transform limited investigative tools into an Orwellian system of mass surveillance.”\u00a0<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n