Traditionally, Utah state law has allowed anyone, for any reason, to place a tracking device on another person’s car. That’s about to change after the Legislature passed a bill criminalizing the use of trackers without a car owner’s permission, or unless the tracker is placed by a licensed private investigator.
Supporters say the change respects privacy and property rights. But the bill generated an at-times heated debate at the Capitol, with some lawmakers questioning whether the exemption for private investigators creates a loophole for Utahns to legally spy on each other.
On this week’s episode of “Trib Talk,” Tribune reporter Bethany Rodgers, Rep. Marie Poulson, D-Cottonwood Heights, and Michelle Palmer, vice president of the Private Investigators Association of Utah, join Benjamin Wood to discuss Utah’s new vehicle tracking law and the ongoing debate over when, and whether, private investigators should be allowed to trace a person’s movement.
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“Trib Talk” is produced by Sara Weber with additional editing by Dan Harrie. Comments and feedback can be sent to tribtalk@sltrib.com, or to @bjaminwood or @tribtalk on Twitter.