Gov. Walker signs bill that makes it a crime for someone to place GPS on vehicle without consent

MADISON --  Governor Scott Walker on Wednesday, July 1st signed into law the GPS Privacy Act authored by Representative Adam Neylon’s (R-Pewaukee) and Senator Jerry Petrowski (R-Marathon). The bill protects citizens by making it a crime for someone to place a global positioning system (GPS) device on someone’s vehicle without their consent.

“With Governor Walker signing the GPS Privacy Act into law, Wisconsin is taking another important step forward in protecting potential victims of harassment and preserving citizens’ right to privacy,” said Representative Neylon.

The bill contains an exception for law enforcement officers executing a warrant, ensuring that the bill will not constrain police acting in their official capacity. There are also exemptions for parents and guardians of wards, as well as employers or lienholders tracking vehicles that they own.

“This piece of legislation received overwhelming bipartisan support in both houses and it’s easy to understand why,” said Senator Petrowski. “The increasing ease of access to tracking technology requires us to take action in order to protect and empower victims of stalking so that they can end this unlawful invasion of their privacy.”

On May 13th, the Assembly concurred unanimously on the two final amendments that were added to the bill in the Senate.