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Thread: What We Know About License Plate Tracking, What We Don't, And Our Plan to Find Out More

  1. #1

    What We Know About License Plate Tracking, What We Don't, And Our Plan to Find Out More

    What We Know About License Plate Tracking, What We Don't, And Our Plan to Find Out More



    By Kade Crockford, ACLU of Massachusetts at 12:31pm

    Today the ACLU is launching a nationwide effort to find out more about automatic license plate readers (ALPR). By snapping photographs of each license plate they encounter—up to three thousand per minute—and retaining records of who was where when, license plate readers are fundamentally threatening our freedom on the open road.

    You may have seen the recent New York Times op-ed that admonished us to start referring to our mobile devices as “trackers” instead of “phones.” Perhaps as ALPR technology spreads we should start saying “tracker” in place of “car,” too. We need statutory protections to limit the collection, retention, and sharing of our travel information.

    And we need to find out more about this technology.

    Unfortunately, we don’t have a comprehensive sense of how this technology is being implemented nationwide. But, here’s some of what we do know:

    • License plate tracking is a big business, and growing. As with so many other cutting-edge surveillance and identification tools, the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice and even the Department of Transportation have dished out many millions of dollars to state and local law enforcement for the purchase of ALPRs. Just a couple of years ago an ALPR unit cost about $22,000; market demand has already pushed the cost down to as little as $12,000 per unit, and it’ll likely dive further. The technology is flying off the shelf, and police couldn’t be more thrilled about what it enables, not least the retroactive, nationwide tracking of our every motoring move.
    • The Drug Enforcement Administration is planning to install a network of plate readers on major highway systems nationwide. The Department of Homeland Security clocks every car that enters the country. Local and state police departments operate many thousands of ALPR systems nationwide—how many and to what extent, we aren’t sure. Together these programs form a network of data points that can tell the government a lot about our lives.
    • Only two states in the nation have statutes on the books to regulate ALPR use, New Hampshire and Maine. The former’s legislature all but banned ALPR; as in Maine, no private deployment is allowed, but in NH the government can use it only to monitor critical infrastructure like bridges. Maine’s statute requires that police delete data after 21 days, allowing investigators access to information that could help solve murders or robberies after the fact while aiming to prevent the kind of society-wide tracking we privacy advocates warn against.
    • New Jersey has implemented statewide guidelines, but they do not go nearly far enough to protect the privacy of motorists in the state, allowing police departments to retain data for up to five years—well beyond what’s reasonable and required in order to make good use of the tool.
    • Various state and regional surveillance centers are pooling the collected ALPR data from various cities or counties into mega-databases, allowing local, state and federal law enforcement to track ordinary motorists’ movements without any kind of judicial oversight—all with the click of a button.
    • The federal government is giving out big money to state and local police to buy the technology, but local communities are rarely consulted about what commonsense privacy protections should be implemented, if they are notified about introduction of the new surveillance tool at all.
    It’s not an exaggeration to say that in ten years there will be ALPRs just about everywhere, making detailed records of every driver’s every movement, and storing it for who knows how long. In some cases, we know that the worst-case scenario—vast databases with records of movements of massive numbers of people—is already happening.

    To avoid this fate we need to convince the nation and our lawmakers to take action on this serious threat to our liberty. And to make a convincing case, we need to know a lot more about the problem as it stands.

    Last year, most people didn’t know why we should call our mobiles “trackers” instead of phones; there was very little public information on how police departments were using our phones to track our location. The ACLU stepped in and spearheaded a massive public records project, bringing together affiliates from every part of the country, obtaining documents that showed how police nationwide were getting access to our intimate information without judicial oversight. This led to a press storm, spurring Congressman Ed Markey’s inquiry to cell providers and leading to a truly astonishing New York Times headline earlier this month. We haven’t yet witnessed the passage of the GPS Act, but we are closer because of that work, and awareness of the issue is now widespread.

    Now we are tackling location tracking via ALPR. Today, ACLU affiliates in 38 states are filing public records requests to their state and local law enforcement agencies to find out how widespread ALPR deployment is and whether there are commonsense privacy protections in place. We are also filing federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests with the Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of Transportation to learn about how these agencies are funding ALPR expansion nationwide, how they are using the technologies themselves, and how they are accessing state, regional and local databases.

    Stay tuned for more information on how license plate trackers are being deployed in your state, and for concrete actions you can take at the state and local level to ensure that police don’t go too far with ALPR.

    http://www.aclu.org/blog/technology-...g-what-we-dont



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  3. #2
    Nice Find. This $#@! scares the crap out of me. So Orwellian.
    "Men, it has been well said, think in herds; it will be seen that they go mad in herds, while they only recover their senses slowly, and one by one."
    —Charles Mackay

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  4. #3
    What's the big deal? It is already established that it is a 'privilege' to operate a motor vehicle on the nations/states highways. They can stop you at will at checkpoints. And yeah, yeah, I already know about the 'right to travel' argument. I also know about the Bill of Rights. Which don't mean $#@! to them either.

  5. #4
    “The spirits of darkness are now among us. We have to be on guard so that we may realize what is happening when we encounter them and gain a real idea of where they are to be found. The most dangerous thing you can do in the immediate future will be to give yourself up unconsciously to the influences which are definitely present.” ~ Rudolf Steiner

  6. #5
    Prior Obama's inaugural, the Federal government security forces were scanning every license plate with Washington DC & the entire eastern seaboard without permission.

    http://www.darientimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/reader.png

    http://cmsimg.burlingtonfreepress.co...-plate-readers
    Last edited by HOLLYWOOD; 09-10-2012 at 08:53 PM.
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  7. #6
    Another reason not to register your car and hand over title to the State.
    Pfizer Macht Frei!

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  8. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by shemdogg View Post
    Only two states in the nation have statutes on the books to regulate ALPR use, New Hampshire and Maine. The former’s legislature all but banned ALPR; as in Maine, no private deployment is allowed, but in NH the government can use it only to monitor critical infrastructure like bridges. Maine’s statute requires that police delete data after 21 days, allowing investigators access to information that could help solve murders or robberies after the fact while aiming to prevent the kind of society-wide tracking we privacy advocates warn against.
    Reason #151 to move to NH
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  9. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by donnay View Post
    I've wondered if that stuff really works. Also, if it does work against red-light-cameras, there's nothing saying it would be effective at all against ALPRs. In fact, I'm pretty sure the ALPRs are using tech that doesn't require a flash, which is how they're able to record "up to three thousand per minute."



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  11. #9
    Citizens need to ban together and not register their vehicles nor acquire a DL... We need to stop surrendering our rights for so called state privileges..

    These automatic license plate readers are liberty strippers... Not to mention a threat to our privacy and safety from the likes of cops and criminals and yes criminal cops..

    Is there any recent case law claiming these ALPR unconstitutional?

    Regards

    ACESFULL

  12. #10
    bump

    any info on these license plate readers?

    Case law, etc

    Acesfull

  13. #11
    What we could use is some technology that would feed bad data to the readers, along the lines of the flip-over plates or the covers that render them unreadable to cameras or even better, something new....a hologram projected in front of the plate?
    "Sorry, fellows, the rebellion is off. We couldn't get a rebellion permit."

  14. #12
    Next thing you'll hear is that the gov requires an rfid chip in each auto and they have chip readers at all intersections....
    "Sorry, fellows, the rebellion is off. We couldn't get a rebellion permit."

  15. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by Danke View Post
    Another reason not to register your car and hand over title to the State.
    Here in Ohio they will just confiscate your car.
    "Sorry, fellows, the rebellion is off. We couldn't get a rebellion permit."

  16. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Tod View Post
    Here in Ohio they will just confiscate your car.
    I know, the Internet is hard, but there are ways to fight if one is interested.
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  17. #15
    The tech is close enough, if not already here, to live stream driving with your cell phone and do this privately. I've played around with plate recognition awhile back and cell phones keep being higher resolution. If it's open data to the gov't then let's make it open to everyone. I imagine big brother would hate us knowing where every police car is driving, federal plate is, etc. Would definitely have to be a service hosted overseas...
    “…let us teach them that all who draw breath are of equal worth, and that those who seek to press heel upon the throat of liberty, will fall to the cry of FREEDOM!!!” – Spartacus, War of the Damned

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  18. #16
    I am still in need of some case law to argue my privacy and family safety concerns against these ALPR...

    Delaware v Prouse--- is close, however, I believe they will counter with United States v Elllison..

    THoughts please.

    Regards

    Acesfull



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  20. #17
    Stealing liberty and privacy one plate at a time...

    Acesfull

  21. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by Tod View Post
    Next thing you'll hear is that the gov requires an rfid chip in each auto and they have chip readers at all intersections....
    They also want to use rfid chips in plates for ease in billing for toll roads.

    Here's some info on rfid chips in our license plates, and how they will achieve it, technically speaking. http://www.rfidjournal.com/articles/view?9214/ (btw, this website advocates chipping everything. LOL)

    The only way around it that I see, is to nuke your plate in the microwave for a few seconds. That would probably blow up any antennae that may be in or on it. Might ruin the microwave though...
    Diversity finds unity in the message of freedom.

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  22. #19
    How about if everyone just decided to not put a plate on their vehicle... I mean everyone.... Same with SSN's and any ID number that creates a contract with a state agency or federal agency..
    My .02
    Acesful

  23. #20
    I need a criminal defense attorney that understands that traveling in an automobile is a "right" and not some state privilege....
    However I can't find one that would be willing to expose the corruption by the DMV and the corrupt townships etc... The lawyers and many others are making a killing
    from not informing citizens that traveling is a right, and the State cannot place fees and tax upon that right to travel.
    My .02
    Aesfull
    Last edited by acesfull; 11-16-2014 at 02:20 PM.

  24. #21
    Quote Originally Posted by Deborah K View Post
    They also want to use rfid chips in plates for ease in billing for toll roads.

    Here's some info on rfid chips in our license plates, and how they will achieve it, technically speaking. http://www.rfidjournal.com/articles/view?9214/ (btw, this website advocates chipping everything. LOL)

    The only way around it that I see, is to nuke your plate in the microwave for a few seconds. That would probably blow up any antennae that may be in or on it. Might ruin the microwave though...

  25. #22
    Quote Originally Posted by acesfull View Post
    I need a criminal defense attorney that understands that traveling in an automobile is a "right" and not some state privilege....
    However I can't find one that would be willing to expose the corruption by the DMV and the corrupt townships etc... The lawyers and may others are making a killing
    from not informing citizens that traveling is a right, and the State cannot place fees and tax upon that right to travel.
    My .02
    Aesfull
    There are groups out there that can help you, they do charge for their services.
    Pfizer Macht Frei!

    Openly Straight Man, Danke, Awarded Top Rated Influencer. Community Standards Enforcer.


    Quiz: Test Your "Income" Tax IQ!

    Short Income Tax Video

    The Income Tax Is An Excise, And Excise Taxes Are Privilege Taxes

    The Federalist Papers, No. 15:

    Except as to the rule of appointment, the United States have an indefinite discretion to make requisitions for men and money; but they have no authority to raise either by regulations extending to the individual citizens of America.

  26. #23
    Quote Originally Posted by Deborah K View Post
    They also want to use rfid chips in plates for ease in billing for toll roads.

    Here's some info on rfid chips in our license plates, and how they will achieve it, technically speaking. http://www.rfidjournal.com/articles/view?9214/ (btw, this website advocates chipping everything. LOL)

    The only way around it that I see, is to nuke your plate in the microwave for a few seconds. That would probably blow up any antennae that may be in or on it. Might ruin the microwave though...
    A strong (electro)magnet can 'reset' an RFID. After that it's useless until someone loads data onto it again.
    "I am a bird"

  27. #24
    Quote Originally Posted by Danke View Post
    There are groups out there that can help you, they do charge for their services.
    hi danke-- Thank you, I am wlling to pay... Put me in touch.
    Thank you and regards.
    CCJ



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