HARRISBURG – A legislative package is being introduced establishing reasonable safeguards for the use of automated surveillance technologies, including automated license plate readers and facial-recognition systems. Snyder County Rep. David Rowe’s bill would create clear statewide standards governing how these technologies are used, including limitations on the collection and retention of personally identifiable information and requirements for judicial oversight in certain circumstances. Clarion County Rep. Josh Bashline’s bill would authorize municipalities to determine whether automated license plate readers may be installed within their communities. The lawmakers say advances in surveillance technology have made it possible to collect, store, and analyze information about individuals on a scale that was unimaginable just a generation ago. While those capabilities can aid criminal investigations, they also underscore the need to ensure technological innovation does not outpace the constitutional protections guaranteed by the Fourth Amendment. Without clear safeguards, these technologies can compile detailed records of the movements of law-abiding citizens who are not suspected of any wrongdoing. A co-sponsorship memo for both bills is being circulated.
REP. JOSH BASHLINE
REP. DAVID ROWE