Parties join forces in fight for personal privacy, liberty

ALEXANDRIA, Va.— Democrats and Republicans in Richmond may be debating whether the state should expand Medicaid, but lawmakers on both sides are joining forces to fight for something on which both parties can agree.

Protecting Virginians’ personal information from public authorities is the mission of the newly formed Ben Franklin Liberty Caucus, named for its namesake’s famous quote, “Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.”

Confronted with, among other things, the practice of local police departments randomly collecting and storing license plate data — despite then-Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli issuing an opinion prohibiting the practice — delegates and senators from both political parties are coming to the table.

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