Bill protecting cell data passes House

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A bill that would require law enforcement officers to get a warrant before they track location information from a suspect's phone won overwhelming support from the House Monday.

Cell phones have become ubiquitous, argued Rep. Ryan Wilcox, R-Ogden, the sponsor of HB128, and Utahns have a constitutional right to privacy that should extend to their electronic data.

Should HB128 become law, a judge would have to approve the collection of any location data from an individual's cell phone. The target of the warrant would have to be notified of the warrant within two weeks, unless it could jeopardize the investigation.

Any information from individuals not subject to the warrant would have to be destroyed as soon as possible.

The measure passed the House 71-2 and moves to the Senate for consideration.

— Robert Gehrke