

Congress may impose license plate reader limits - zmanian
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2015/03/cops-are-freaked-out-that-congress-may-impose-license-plate-reader-limits/

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fnordfnordfnord
Not surprised to see police making a power grab and disregarding privacy.
Police having ALPR and taking/keeping surveillance data on non-criminals is
bad; but this is also problematic with private companies doing the same thing.
Tow companies often have ALPR, and nothing that I am aware of prevents or
restricts them from collecting and selling the data. Given the inexpensive
nature of the systems, and their method of operation (optical detection) there
isn't much that can be done with the current system to give people back some
privacy.

A better solution would be to completely do away with license plates and
replace them with an un-powered RFID tag, possibly connected to a system that
records each time it is read & some information about the transponder. Then
make unauthorized reading & collecting of the rfid data an offense.

~~~
hga
That ignores the utility of license plates for closing crimes. E.g. there was
a day when I was in elementary school, my siblings and I had been picked up by
my father, and he was about to make a left turn at a T that was also the
crossing of a _very_ dangerous road, one manned by a professional crossing
guard vs. the student ones for suburban roads. A jerk blew right through it,
almost ran down the crossing guard who threw her stop sign at him (I think she
may have hit his vehicle), and my father was perfectly placed to make a fast
left turn and follow the guy long enough to get his license plate. And he was
busted based on my father's report.

I don't see any way to square a RFID scheme with the need, or at least desire,
to make such identifications.

~~~
fnordfnordfnord
Personally, I tihnk the example you describe is rare and that most of the time
eye-witnesses and even cameras only get a partial plate, if anything at all.

~~~
oh_sigh
How frequently is your privacy violated by having your license plate on public
display? Is that also rare?

~~~
Create
He said, "Because I don't have a license plate." I think he felt the normal
rules just shouldn't apply to him.

[http://www.thewire.com/technology/2011/10/how-steve-jobs-
got...](http://www.thewire.com/technology/2011/10/how-steve-jobs-got-away-not-
having-license-plate/44224/)

[http://www.cultofmac.com/126338/why-steve-jobs-mercedes-
neve...](http://www.cultofmac.com/126338/why-steve-jobs-mercedes-never-had-a-
license-plate/)

[http://www.ehow.com/how_6197310_track-car-using-cell-
phone.h...](http://www.ehow.com/how_6197310_track-car-using-cell-phone.html)

