George Orwell’s vision of an all-seeing state isn’t fiction anymore. Modern surveillance technology enables the government to track your everyday movements, store your location history, and watch your life unfold in real time.

Abuses are already happening. There have been reports of police using automatic license plate reader cameras to stalk ex-girlfriends, improperly sharing data with federal agencies, and providing bogus reasons for searching databases.

The Protecting Everyone from Excessive Police Surveillance (PEEPS) Act draws a constitutional line in the sand. It offers a balanced framework for legislators who want to ensure that law enforcement has the tools it needs to fight crime while preserving Fourth Amendment protections for the public. Key provisions include:

• Requiring law enforcement to obtain a warrant before accessing an individual’s historical location information, unless an emergency makes it impractical to do so;
• Restricting the conveyance of historical location information to third parties;
• Ensuring a record is created every time historical location information is accessed; and
• Mandating training for law enforcement officials who access historical location information.

Big Brother isn’t coming—it’s already here. The PEEPS Act provides necessary protections of Fourth Amendment rights and ensures that surveillance technology is being used responsibly.