Washington Privacy Organizers

FISA fake “deadline” June 12. Will Schrier, MGP, and Strickland side with Republicans again?

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Congress is once again voting on whether to reauthorize FISA Section 702’s warrantless surveillance — and potentially introduce reforms.  Get FISA Right’s FISA update: the fake “deadline” is approaching quickly is an overview of the complex political situation, with only a few days before the fake June 12 “deadline”. In April, 42 House Democrats voted … Read more

Bipartisan amendment to ban Flock and other ALPRs fails — but there’s support for regulation

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A grid with red, green, and gray boxes showing the votes on Amendment 221. Overall, there are 20 yes votes and 44 no votes. Larsen and Strickland are both in red, indicating they voted no.

The proposed amendment to prohibit federal highway fund recipients from using Flock and other automated license plate readers (ALPRs) for any purpose except tolling failed 20-44 yesterday.  The good news is that legislators from both parties acknowledged the abuses of ALPRs, and most agreed on the need for some regulation. And to be honest, 20 … Read more

Say no to Flock and ALPRs: ask Congress to limit ALPR usage for federal highway fund recipients

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A Flock surveillance camera on a light pole, with a big red circle and slash on top.

In A Bipartisan Amendment Would End Police License Plate Tracking Nationwide, Dell Cameron reports for Wired: US lawmakers plan to introduce an amendment Thursday at a House committee markup hearing that would prohibit any recipient of federal highway funding from using automated license plate readers for any purpose other than tolling—a sweeping restriction that, if … Read more

FISA warrantless surveillance: Congress is voting on reauthorization this week

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Congress is once again voting on whether to reauthorize FISA Section 702’s warrantless surveillance — and potentially introduce reforms.  Get FISA Right’s FISA Reauth state of play: new “deadline” April 30 is an overview of the complex political situation, with a dozen Republicans pushing back against attempts by Speaker Johnson and the Trump administration to … Read more

Washington state 2026 legislative session: where are we with five days left?

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The Washington state legislative session ends on Thursday March 12 and it’s been even more intense than usual.  Right now the discussions around SB 6002, the Driver Privacy Act regulating Flock and other ALPRs are the most intense. Sen. Trudeau’s original bill was a “compromise”, which advocates said was too weak to protect Washingtonians — … Read more

Washington state 2026 legislative session: off to a fast start!

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My oh my … the Washington state legislative session started on January 12 and immediately shifted into ultra-high gear — we’ve already testified at multiple hearings.  Social networks are the best way to keep up with what we’re up to. We’re on Blacksky at @wa-privacy.net; you can also follow from Bluesky  For Mastodon (or compatible software … Read more