It really was a banner year in the Montana Legislature when it comes to protecting your privacy.
Not only did legislators pass laws requiring law enforcement to get a warrant to use drone surveillance against you or to strip or body cavity search you if you are arrested on a misdemeanor offense, but it was also the first state in the country to require a warrant for the police to use your mobile devices to track your location.
That's the dirty not-so-secret about all these devices -- iPads, cell phones, even some cameras -- with their handy GPS: They can track where you go and when you go there. And police across the country have been tapping into this information.
We're so proud that Montana is the first state to make a search warrant a requirement for the police to obtain cell phone tracking information. Texas lawmakers tried to do it, but ran out of time. Maine is getting close to passing similar legislation.
If you'd like to support the federal equivalent of Montana's law, the Geolocational Privacy & Surveillance Act, you can go to the ACLU’s Action Center and e-mail your members of Congress.
