State lawmakers plan to propose legislation Wednesday that would require police forces in Illinois to get a warrant before using surveillance equipment to covertly scan people's cellphone data.
State Sen. Daniel Biss (D-Evanston) and Rep. Ann Williams (D-Chicago) are spearheading the measure in their respective chambers.
The proposal would also prohibit police from keeping information captured by the equipment, often called "Stingray," if the cellphone data in question is from an individual not under investigation.
"There's agreement on both sides of the aisle that it's not the government's role to accumulate personal and private data on citizens without evidence of wrongdoing," Williams said, reported the Chicago Tribune. "Basic protections are no different because of advancing technology. The law has to keep up with it."
In Chicago, the police department is facing a lawsuit seeking to learn how it uses the cellphone tracking equipment in the city. As part of that case, a Cook County judge set a January 25 deadline for police to turn over documents about the department's use of the equipment. The judge will then determine whether the documents can be released.