U.S. Rep. Emilia Sykes (pictured), an Akron Democrat, Reintroduces Anti-Electronic Stalking Legislation

Bipartisan Legislation is Modeled after an Ohio Law that passed under a bill Rep. Sykes Introduced in the Ohio legislature when she was a state lawmaker

By Kathy Wray Coleman, editor, associate publisher

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Today, U.S. Reps Emilia Sykes (OH-13), an Akron Democrat, and Mike Carey (OH-15), a Columbus Republican, reintroduced the Stop Electronic Stalking Act, which would prohibit the use of personal tracking devices to track people without their consent. Rep. Sykes introduced similar legislation in the Ohio legislature when she was a state lawmaker. It was recently signed into law by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican whose second four-year-term is nearing an end.

The proposed bipartisan congressional legislation comes as Women's History Month, which begins on March 1, 2025, nears.

"Geotracking devices are meant to be used to locate and keep track of property like luggage or keys, but when I served in the Ohio House of Representatives, a constituent from Akron made me aware that anyone could use this technology to secretly track or stalk people," said Rep. Sykes, a state lawmaker-turned Congresswoman who represents Ohio's 13th congressional district and one of three Black women in Congress from Ohio. "No one should have to live in fear of being electronically tracked without their consent, which is why I'm introducing this bill to protect all Americans through federal legislation."

Rep. Carey said he is pleased to join Rep. Sykes in seeking congressional legislation to help protect women and other Americans from stalking.

"Innovative products like personal tracking devices are helpful to locate belongings when they have been stolen or misplaced. Unfortunately, they can also be used by bad actors to track, stalk, and harass unknown people," said Rep. Carey. "I am proud to co-lead the Stop Electronic Stalking Act alongside Rep. Sykes to ensure this violating form of stalking is illegal nationwide and protect all Americans from being tracked without their consent."

"Alliance for Safety and Justice supports policies that expand access to safety to victims of crime and prevent crises from becoming a crime. We offer our support of the Stop Electronic Stalking Act, which will help ensure that victims of stalking have more support in protecting themselves from harm," said Shakyra Diaz, chief of shared safety for the Alliance for Safety and Justice.

"Research shows that domestic violence homicides increase during the period of separation when an abuser is losing control. Legislation like the Stop Electronic Stalking Act helps protect survivors from being tracked during this critical time, saving lives and allowing abusers to be prosecuted if tracking devices are used, ultimately taking away that control," said Julie Donant, CEO of Domestic Violence Project, Inc. in Canton, Oh.

Though personal tracking devices like Apple AirTag and Tile are intended to track property, crimes have been reported across the country involving the use of these devices to stalk victims, specifically women being stalked by former spouses or relationship partners. The current federal stalking law does not explicitly ban unwanted location tracking using an electronic device.

That's why, in 2023 Rep. Sykes initially introduced the Stop Electronic Stalking Act, which, if passed by Congress as a reintroduced bill during this 136th General Assembly, would prohibit the use of personal tracking devices to track people without their consent. This legislation would amend the federal criminal code's definition of stalking to codify that the unauthorized tracking of an individual by a GPS device qualifies as stalking to prevent victimization and penalize bad actors who use these devices for nefarious purposes.

Rep. Sykes first became aware of this issue while serving in the Ohio House of Representatives after a constituent from Akron, a city some 35 miles south of Cleveland, and an investigation from WKYC Cleveland 3 brought it to her attention. This constituent's former partner put a personal tracking device on her car and tracked her location for several months without her knowledge.

Eventually, and with the help of the Akron Police Department, the constituent was able to locate and remove the tracking device but was surprised to learn that tracking someone electronically without their consent was not illegal under Ohio law. Rep. Sykes, then a state lawmaker, subsequently introduced Ohio H.B. 672, which is now a state law that prohibits a person from knowingly installing a tracking device or tracking application on another person's property without the other person's consent.

Now the congresswoman is pushing for her nationwide anti-stalking bill to be approved by Congress, and in due time, although Congressional Democrats and Republicans collectively remain at odds under the leadership of President Donald Trump, who took the oath of office in January for a second, non-consecutive term.

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