Bill Would Block GPS Tracking On Cars

Private investigators in Wisconsin are calling for changes in a proposed new law that would prevent them from using GPS devices to gather information for their clients.

The bill would make it a misdemeanor to place a GPS device on someone’s car without the owner’s knowledge. It includes exceptions for parents who want to track the whereabouts of their minor children and for police who must get a court order to track a criminal suspect.

But the vice president of the Wisconsin Association of Licensed Private Investigators, Thomas Fischer said his members should also be exempted.

“Basically you’ve got 700 small businesses throughout the United States, a lot of them are in the surveillance business themselves,” said Fischer. “This would basically put them out of business or make it a lot more expensive for them to do surveillance. ”

The author of the bill says the goal is to prevent stalking by domestic violence abusers who use GPS to harass and potentially harm their victims.