MN: State Senate passes tougher cell phone tracking standards

Tim Pugmire reports:

The Minnesota Senate has overwhelmingly passed a bill requiring police to obtain a warrant in order to track a person’s location by their cell phone or other electronic devices.

The vote today was 56 -1. Under the bill, law enforcement must show probable cause of a crime. There’s also a requirement for notifying people when their tracking information is collected.

Read more on MPR.

Note: The bill was amended to require a “tracking warrant,” which is not quite the same as a search warrant. The Star Tribune reports that a companion bill awaits a vote in the state House.