It’s not something that gets a lot of attention, but there are ALPRs all over the place.
The automated license plate readers are technology systems that capture plate numbers and add them to a database, along with the time and the location.
The information is used to track down fugitives and much more.
And it’s that “much more” that has privacy advocates alarmed.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation and a public records information site called MuckRock are joining forces to track down what happens when your tag is recorded in the database.
The privacy groups already know such information goes to police agencies, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI, the U.S. Marshals service and other agencies. Even those with nothing to do with traffic.
Now they’ve launched an effort to find out more about how the data is used and who has access to it. They plan to file Freedom of Information