May 28, 2020
Frisco, Texas — Texas State Representative Jared Patterson has pledged to file legislation in the upcoming 87th Legislative Session that would ensure the protection of digital privacy rights in Texas.
Patterson issued the following statement:
“I believe Texans’ Fourth Amendment rights are as important as our First and Second Amendment rights, and that government tracking of cellular data and location is unconstitutional.
While I realize that the issue of digital privacy is a relatively new and grey area of law, I do not believe this question should be left for the courts to decide. We must act by entering it into state law so that there is no ambiguity.
I will file a bill in the upcoming legislative session to make it clear that in Texas, no law-abiding citizen will have his or her cell phone data tracked or collected by the government.”
Patterson said that he has received overwhelming support for such an effort from his constituents, who have raised digital privacy concerns in light of the recent government expansion of contact tracing for COVID-19. Patterson emphasized that though the state government is not currently, and has no intention of, conducting cellular data or location tracking, it should be clearly stated in law that Texans will not tolerate any form of digital tracking.
