In one paragraph
West Virginia's HB 4628, the Protecting Everyone from Excessive Police Surveillance (PEEPS) Act (2026 regular session), would have barred government officials from accessing databases of photos, video, license plate, facial recognition or cell site data that reveal locations more than 24 hours old unless there is a warrant, voluntary consent, a reported lost or stolen vehicle, exigent circumstances, or specified traffic, toll and parking uses. Data could be kept no more than 10 days. It was sent to House Judiciary on January 21, 2026 and died when the session ended March 14, 2026.
Plain-English summary, written with AI assistance. The official text controls.
What it means for business
None: the bill did not pass. It would have limited government access to location databases, including facial recognition and license plate data, and set security rules for entities that collect them.
Key provisions
- Government officials may not access databases revealing historical location information (over 24 hours old) except with a warrant, consent, a reported lost or stolen vehicle, exigent circumstances, or toll, traffic, parking or information security uses (62-1G-4)
- No sharing outside the jurisdiction except under those exceptions or a court order, no sale to private parties, and retention of no more than 10 days (62-1G-5)
- Entities would have to adopt a policy requiring encryption, written supervisor approval, a record of each access, supervisor audits at least every 30 days, an annual report and training
- Information accessed in violation is inadmissible; access is suspended for 7 days, 30 days, then permanently for first, second and third violations; the Attorney General may seek declaratory and injunctive relief (62-1G-6)
- The text does not use the words artificial intelligence; its definition of database covers photos, video, license plate data, facial recognition data and cell site location data; no effective date appears in the text
- Introduced January 21, 2026; sent to House Judiciary; died at the end of the 2026 session
Latest legislative action
Jan 21, 2026. To House Judiciary; died when the West Virginia Legislature's 2026 regular session ended March 14, 2026
Sponsors (showing 5 of 40)
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Higginbotham | Primary |
| Horst | Primary |
| Nelson | Primary |
| Pinson | Primary |
| Worrell | Primary |
Topics and industries
Related topics
Affected industries
This page is general information, not legal advice. Summaries are AI-assisted and may contain errors; read the statute for the controlling text and talk to a lawyer about your situation. Full disclaimer · Report an error