Private Investigators Safe From New Utah Law Limiting GPS Tracking
Although many private investigators rely on old-school techniques to surveil subjects, they often incorporate newer technology to assist them in their work. Some of that technology includes GPS trackers, which can discreetly be placed unknowingly on a subject’s car, transmitting data to the PI about the vehicle’s location, and presumably the target subject. Recently, this technology was on the chopping block as Representative Marie Polsen of Utah drafted a bill (HB223) aimed at eliminating the use of GPS tracking devices by anyone outside of law enforcement. If passed in its original context, the Bill would have prevented PIs from using the technology and made any illegal use of a GPS tracker a Class A misdemeanor. Obviously, private investigators opposed this Bill, and the nonprofit group Private Investigators Association of Utah lobbied to protect investigators. Private investigators can breathe a sigh of relief after lawmakers included a provision in HB 223 that allowed the use of GPS Tracking devices by licensed private investigators. Lawmakers signed the Utah bill this past May and it is currently effective.
The Legality of GPS Trackers
Though many newer cars now come standard with GPS technology installed by the manufacturer, the laws surrounding portable GPS …read more
Source:: Private Invest
