There is a very good chance that at least one photograph of your license plate exists in a database somewhere. Whether it was taken by your local police department or a growing number of private agencies, it’s estimated that every vehicle own in this country has been hit by an automatic license plate recognition scanner, at least once.
The Wall Street Journal, in their latest in a series of investigations on privacy matters, found that data about you and your movements is collected in more than 20 different ways. These aren’t just illegal activities that are being tracked by the police, other governmental agencies, and private firms, but your mere movements from place to place.
Use of automatic license plate recognition (APLR) systems began in the 1960s when the technology for red light cameras was developed. However, like all technology, these cameras have grown significantly in sophistication and shrunk considerably in price. One thing that hasn’t changed, however, is how they are regulated.
Right now, the data from these ALPR systems, which take photos of passing vehicles, is largely unregulated. This means every department and every business that collects these photos is allowed to more or less do what they want with it, keep it indefinitely and use it how they see fit. While some laws are in place to protect people from curious stalkers looking to purchase their data from these databases, little regulation outside of this exists.
Law enforcement agencies are generally using the license plate cameras to identify stolen vehicles or, supposedly, vehicles involved in criminal cases like kidnappings. But governmental agencies aren’t the only ones getting in on the action. A few private businesses have popped up, hoping to capitalize on the technology and the lack of regulation.
One business, owned by Mike Griffin, uses the cameras to look for vehicles wanted for repossession. While he says he takes “extensive security measures” with the data, he does provide all of the scans to a national database.
Another private businessman, Scott A. Jackson, who owns MVConnect, LLC and runs one of the largest private national databases, installs the technology in other repo-men’s vehicles and charges a monthly subscription fee. Jackson says the information will not be shared with the public or marketers, ensuring that his methods are safe and respect the rights of the public. But, with no regulation in place, who can be sure?
Jackson claims, of his database, “We have photographs of a large majority of registered vehicles in the U.S.” And when he represents only one source of such scans, the likelihood that we’re all listed in these databases is pretty good.
A rival company, Vigilant Solutions, operates a website where they have a running total of 700 million scans. There they provide that they can “combine automotive data such as where millions of people drive their cars… with household income and other valuable information,” all so that requesting companies can “pinpoint consumers more effectively.”
Where do these agencies, including law enforcement, draw a line in regards to your privacy? The truth is, they don’t. Until a law is passed or the Supreme Court makes a ruling, these cameras will continue to operate simply because they can. Rather than err on the side of privacy rights, those operating the cameras will do what they can while they can to improve their bottom line and to catch more “bad guys.”
While the Supreme Court recently ruled that law enforcement agencies must have a warrant to track your vehicle with GPS, they haven’t said anything about these license plate scanners that are tracking our every move—as we go to and from work, to our doctors’ offices, to our friends’ houses, and to our children’s schools.
Whether it’s a private corporation or your local police department, you can be sure of one thing: you are being watched.
If you are facing criminal charges after an investigation or surveillance period, you may wonder what the police have learned about you, what their evidence is and how they were able to obtain it. Fortunately, you have rights, and one of these rights is to know about the evidence against you. A local defense attorney can assist you in the process of discovery and ensuring that your rights were protected throughout the investigation stage and well into your criminal trial. Contact us to be put in touch with a local attorney today.
About David Matson