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HB 145

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 11 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO REVERSE LOCATION AND REVERSE KEYWORD SEARCHES AND COURT ORDERS.

153rd General Assembly (2025-2026) Introduced by Mara Gorman and 5 co-sponsors

Delaware bill establishes court-ordered procedures and protections for law enforcement's reverse location and keyword searches of technology platform user data.

Passed By Senate. Votes: 11 YES 4 NO 6 ABSENT
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · HB 145

Legislative bill overview

HB 145 amends Delaware's criminal procedure code (Title 11) to establish requirements and procedures governing "reverse location" and "reverse keyword" searches conducted by law enforcement. These searches involve asking technology companies to provide data on all users within a geographic area or who searched for specific terms, rather than targeting a specific suspect. The bill likely sets standards for when courts can authorize such searches and what protections must be in place.

Why is this important

Reverse searches represent a significant shift in investigative power, allowing police to cast wide nets that could implicate innocent people in criminal investigations. This raises constitutional concerns about Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searches, as well as privacy implications for ordinary citizens whose digital activity could be monitored. Delaware's approach will influence how broadly law enforcement can conduct these searches and how much judicial oversight is required.

Potential points of contention

  • Fourth Amendment balance: Whether the bill provides adequate protection against overly broad searches that sweep up data on innocent people, or whether it allows too much investigative latitude
  • Technology company compliance: Questions about what burden these searches place on platforms, data retention requirements, and whether companies should have the right to challenge requests
  • Judicial oversight standards: Disagreement over what threshold (probable cause, reasonable suspicion, etc.) should justify these searches and whether magistrates have sufficient expertise to evaluate requests

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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