A nationwide network of automated license plate readers (ALPRs), primarily from companies like Flock Safety, is capturing and storing detailed location data on billions of American drivers.
These
systems, deployed in thousands of communities, record not just license
plates but also vehicle make, model, color and unique features, creating
a digital "fingerprint" for each car.
Privacy advocates
and civil liberties organizations like the ACLU warn this constitutes a
form of mass surveillance, creating permanent records of citizens'
movements without suspicion of a crime. Security
vulnerabilities have been exposed, with live camera feeds and real-time
vehicle data from some systems leaking onto the public internet without
password protection.
The technology, funded by prominent
Silicon Valley investors, raises significant Fourth Amendment concerns
about unreasonable search and seizure, with calls for stricter
regulation and data retention limits....<<<Read More>>>...
