The state government, local governments and police departments would be barred from using drone aircraft or other high-tech surveillance equipment to spy on people without legal approval, under a bill endorsed Jan. 31 by a House committee.
“I believe technology is not good or evil; it’s how it’s deployed,” Rep. Jeff Morris, D-Mount Vernon, who is the sponsor of the proposal, told the House Technology and Economic Development Committee. Morris said that developers of the stealth technology should know “where the guardrails are on the side of the road” to protect personal privacy.
The measure, House Bill 2179, requires court approval of any surreptitious government surveillance by means of drones or other esoteric spy gear from vantage points that an ordinary person could not readily access. It also directs law-enforcement and other public agencies to get permission from the government body they work for before acquiring the technology.
The measure exempts surveillance for forest-fire control, wildlife management, environmental monitoring and some other surveys not targeted at people, and for homeland security within 25 miles of the Canadian border.
The approval today by the committee, which Morris chairs, routes the bill to the full House for consideration.