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Why It’s Legal for Police, Divorce Attorneys to Collect I-Pass User Data


Over six million I-Pass transponders have been issued in Illinois. The devices track the movement of tollway customers and, according to new reporting by WBEZ, that data is often shared with law enforcement and divorce attorneys, causing unease among privacy advocates.

The Illinois Tollway’s privacy policy states that it will provide I-Pass data to anyone who has a warrant, subpoena, or court order.

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WBEZ state politics reporter Tony Arnold found that law enforcement is the primary group that requests individuals’ I-Pass data. “The information was used in cases ranging from stolen vehicles and bank robberies to gun-running, murder and child sex trafficking,” Arnold wrote.

“This is supposed to be a program that collects money for when you drive on the roads,” Karen Sheley, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, said in the report. “It should not be a system that allows the government to turn over to private litigants detailed information about your whereabouts, and to the extent that it is, people should know that. I would call it mission creep,” she said.

Arnold joins us to discuss his findings – and how and why this is legal.


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