S.B. 435, An Act Concerning the Permissible Recording of a Private Telephone Conversation

Black and Latinx people are disproportionately affected by policing and the criminal legal system, which includes surveillance by police. Senate Bill 435 is particularly concerning because it removes the requirement that all parties consent to a recording and instead would only require one party to consent. This shift to one-party consent is done blanketly, with no exception or guardrails for instances of police surveillance. Without exemptions for policing, Senate Bill 435 is likely to result in the increased surveillance and, as a result, the increased incarceration of people in this state with distinct harm to Black and Latinx communities. As such, the ACLU-CT opposes Senate Bill 435 and urges this Committee to do the same.