Today at the Montana Capitol, legislators heard about privacy.
Representative Daniel Zolnikov is carrying House Bill 345, which would prevent the use of data recorded by a smart cars during an accident without a subpoena or owner’s consent. And, he's carrying House Bill 344, which would prohibit license-plate scanners in the state.
“It can be used to identify where you were and where you went.”
However, Jon Bennion of the state Department of Justice says license plate scanners shouldn’t be discounted outright because they could be used under only specific circumstances.
“License plate scanners out of Idaho were used by Montana DCI agents to collect information that lead to the arrest of a man who brutally murdered his 3-year-old son just outside of Anaconda.”
This bill comes after reports that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration used license-plate scanners to gather information on motorists across the nation.