Privacy is a fundamental part of individual liberty. People should be able to live their lives without unnecessary government monitoring, surveillance, or interference.
As a Libertarian, I believe government must respect constitutional rights while carrying out its legitimate public safety responsibilities.
Technology has given government powerful tools to collect information, track movements, and monitor individuals. While some technologies can serve legitimate purposes, their use must come with meaningful limits, transparency, and accountability.
Protect the Right to Privacy
People should not have to surrender their privacy simply because technology makes surveillance easier or cheaper.
Government should have a legitimate, lawful reason to collect personal information. Information should not be gathered or retained indefinitely simply because government has the ability to do so.
Privacy protections should apply to everyone, regardless of political beliefs, income, background, or immigration status.
The government should not treat every resident as a potential suspect.
Limit Government Surveillance
Automated license plate readers, facial recognition systems, surveillance cameras, and other monitoring technologies raise serious questions about privacy and government authority.
Automated license plate readers can record vehicle movements and create searchable records of where people travel. When combined with other databases, these systems can reveal detailed information about someone’s daily activities.
Even when surveillance technology is introduced for legitimate public safety purposes, there is a risk that its use will expand beyond its original intent.
Government agencies should clearly explain what information they collect, why it is necessary, how long it is retained, and who can access it.
Surveillance programs should have appropriate legal safeguards, strict access controls, reasonable retention limits, and independent oversight.
Protect Personal Data
Government agencies collect significant amounts of personal information through public services, licensing, taxation, law enforcement, and other activities.
Residents should have confidence that their information is protected against unauthorized access, misuse, and unnecessary disclosure.
Government should collect only the information reasonably necessary to perform its responsibilities and retain it only as long as justified by law and legitimate operational needs.
Agencies should establish clear security standards, regularly review access permissions, and take responsibility when personal information is improperly exposed.
Personal information collected for one government purpose should not automatically become available for unrelated activities.
Hold Surveillance Contractors Accountable
Government increasingly relies on private companies to provide surveillance technology, manage databases, and process sensitive information.
Using a private contractor does not eliminate government’s responsibility to protect individual rights.
Public contracts should clearly establish who owns collected information, who can access it, how it may be shared, and when it must be deleted.
Government should not enter agreements that allow private companies to use residents’ information for unrelated commercial purposes or provide unrestricted access to outside organizations.
Before approving or renewing surveillance contracts, public officials should evaluate their effectiveness, financial costs, privacy risks, and legal safeguards.
Taxpayer-funded technology should serve the public, not create opportunities for unchecked surveillance.
Protect Civil Liberties and Due Process
Privacy protections are closely connected to freedom of speech, freedom of association, and the right to participate in political activities without unreasonable government interference.
People should be able to attend public meetings, participate in peaceful demonstrations, criticize elected officials, and associate with others without being subjected to unjustified government monitoring.
Government should not use surveillance systems to target individuals based solely on their political opinions, religious beliefs, or lawful activities.
Law enforcement must respect constitutional protections and follow appropriate legal procedures when investigating individuals or accessing sensitive information.
Public safety should never become a blanket justification for ignoring individual rights.
Transparency and Public Accountability
Residents deserve to know how their government uses surveillance technology and protects personal information.
Government agencies should publicly disclose the general purposes of surveillance programs, their costs, applicable policies, and oversight procedures.
Independent reviews and meaningful public reporting can help identify misuse, unnecessary spending, and programs that fail to deliver measurable benefits.
When government employees or contractors misuse surveillance systems, there must be consequences and meaningful opportunities for affected individuals to seek accountability.
Transparency does not require exposing sensitive investigations or compromising legitimate security measures. It requires government to explain and justify the powers it exercises.
Balance Public Safety With Individual Rights
Protecting privacy does not mean ignoring violent crime or preventing law enforcement from using legitimate investigative tools.
It means recognizing that public safety and constitutional rights must work together.
Government should demonstrate that surveillance programs serve a legitimate purpose, operate within the law, and include safeguards against abuse.
Technology should be evaluated based on its effectiveness and impact on individual rights, not simply because it is available.
Communities should not be forced to choose between feeling safe and being free.
My Position on Privacy & Civil Liberties
I believe government should protect individual privacy, respect due process, and remain accountable for how it collects and uses personal information.
Whether surveillance technology is operated by a city, county, or state agency, the same principles should apply.
Government must respect constitutional limits, provide meaningful oversight, and ensure that technology does not become a tool for unnecessary monitoring or political abuse.
My belief is simple: Government should protect our communities without sacrificing the privacy, freedoms, and constitutional rights of the people it serves.