{"id":8733,"date":"2024-10-06T08:37:22","date_gmt":"2024-10-06T15:37:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/?p=8733"},"modified":"2024-10-06T08:37:22","modified_gmt":"2024-10-06T15:37:22","slug":"license-plate-readers-are-creating-a-us-wide-database-of-more-than-just-cars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/2024\/10\/06\/license-plate-readers-are-creating-a-us-wide-database-of-more-than-just-cars\/","title":{"rendered":"License Plate Readers Are Creating a US-Wide Database of More Than Just Cars"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>License plate reading technology is a lot more insidious than is actually reported. I used to watch a repo specialist over a decade ago who has since retired, and he had a commercial system that allowed him to drive through parking lots and record license plates even flagging him for targets, and he could use the database from his commercial provider to look up where his targets have been spotted. In one video he could deduce that his target worked at the mall and went and grabbed up their vehicle when he knew they&#8217;d be working. You don&#8217;t have to have your vehicle or smartphone tracking location data for anyone with access to these systems to piece together where you&#8217;ve been. Now throw in that they&#8217;re recording images with OCR and text being fed into the database, and these are an even greater invasion of our privacy. Consequently, Wired is a serious propaganda outlet, and could be trying to scare people into self censoring their behavior as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/license-plate-readers-political-signs-bumper-stickers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/license-plate-readers-political-signs-bumper-stickers\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-ub-divider ub_divider ub-divider-orientation-horizontal\" id=\"ub_divider_1f824aee-4666-4e9f-b0b7-27c322a594b4\"><div class=\"ub_divider_wrapper\" style=\"position: relative; margin-bottom: 2px; width: 100%; height: 2px; \" data-divider-alignment=\"center\"><div class=\"ub_divider_line\" style=\"border-top: 2px solid #ccc; margin-top: 2px; \"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">From Trump campaign signs to Planned Parenthood bumper stickers, license plate readers around the US are creating searchable databases that reveal Americans\u2019 political leanings and more.<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/66fe78ef32e2bee04d8a6a15\/master\/w_2560%2Cc_limit\/GettyImages-1825452845.jpg\" alt=\"Image may contain Light Traffic Light City Outdoors Nature Road Car Transportation Vehicle Urban Snow and Person\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>At 8:22 am on December 4 last year, a car traveling down a small residential road in Alabama used its license-plate-reading cameras to take photos of vehicles it passed. One image, which does not contain a vehicle or a license plate, shows a bright red \u201cTrump\u201d campaign sign placed in front of someone\u2019s garage. In the background is a banner referencing Israel, a holly wreath, and a festive inflatable snowman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another image taken on a different day by a different vehicle shows a \u201cSteelworkers for Harris-Walz\u201d sign stuck in the lawn in front of someone\u2019s home. A construction worker, with his face unblurred, is pictured near another Harris sign. Other photos show Trump and Biden (including \u201cFuck Biden\u201d) bumper stickers on the back of trucks and cars across America. One photo, taken in November 2023, shows a partially torn bumper sticker supporting the Obama-Biden lineup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These images were generated by AI-powered cameras mounted on cars and trucks, initially designed to capture license plates, but which are now photographing political lawn signs outside private homes, individuals wearing T-shirts with text, and vehicles displaying pro-abortion bumper stickers\u2014all while recording the precise locations of these observations. Newly obtained data reviewed by WIRED shows how a tool originally intended for traffic enforcement has evolved into a system capable of monitoring speech protected by the US Constitution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The detailed photographs all surfaced in search results produced by the systems of DRN Data, a license-plate-recognition (LPR) company owned by Motorola Solutions. The LPR system can be used by private investigators, repossession agents, and insurance companies; a related Motorola business, called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.motorolasolutions.com\/content\/dam\/msi\/docs\/products\/license-plate-recognition-systems\/vigilant-vehiclemanager\/vigilant_vehiclemanager_brochure.pdf\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Vigilant<\/a>, gives cops access to the same LPR data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, files shared with WIRED by artist Julia Weist, who is <a href=\"https:\/\/work.deaccession.org\/vehicle-sightings\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">documenting restricted datasets<\/a> as part of her work, show how those with access to the LPR system can search for common phrases or names, such as those of politicians, and be served with photographs where the search term is present, even if it is not displayed on license plates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A search result for the license plates from Delaware vehicles with the text \u201cTrump\u201d returned more than 150 images showing people\u2019s homes and bumper stickers. Each search result includes the date, time, and exact location of where a photograph was taken.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI searched for the word \u2018believe,\u2019 and that is all lawn signs. There\u2019s things just painted on planters on the side of the road, and then someone wearing a sweatshirt that says \u2018Believe.\u2019\u201d Weist says. \u201cI did a search for the word \u2018lost,\u2019 and it found the flyers that people put up for lost dogs and cats.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Beyond highlighting the far-reaching nature of LPR technology, which has collected billions of images of license plates, the research also shows how people\u2019s personal political views and their homes can be recorded into vast databases that can be queried.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt really reveals the extent to which surveillance is happening on a mass scale in the quiet streets of America,\u201d says Jay Stanley, a senior policy analyst at the American Civil Liberties Union. \u201cThat surveillance is not limited just to license plates, but also to a lot of other potentially very revealing information about people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>DRN, in a statement issued to WIRED, said it complies with \u201call applicable laws and regulations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Billions of Photos<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>License-plate-recognition systems, broadly, work by first capturing an image of a vehicle; then they use optical character recognition (OCR) technology to identify and extract the text from the vehicle&#8217;s license plate within the captured image. Motorola-owned DRN sells multiple license-plate-recognition cameras: a fixed camera that can be placed near roads, identify a vehicle\u2019s make and model, and capture images of vehicles traveling up to 150 mph; a \u201cquick deploy\u201d camera that can be attached to buildings and monitor vehicles at properties; and mobile cameras that can be placed on dashboards or be mounted to vehicles and capture images when they are driven around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Over more than a decade, DRN has amassed <a href=\"https:\/\/drndata.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/DRNsights-Investigations-Fact-Sheet.pdf\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">more than 15 billion<\/a> \u201cvehicle sightings\u201d across the United States, and it claims in its marketing materials that it amasses more than 250 million sightings per month. Images in DRN\u2019s commercial database are shared with police using its Vigilant system, but images captured by law enforcement are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.motorolasolutions.com\/content\/dam\/msi\/docs\/products\/license-plate-recognition-systems\/vigilant-vehiclemanager\/lpr_data_management_faq_en_us.pdf\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">not shared back into the wider database<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The system is partly fueled by DRN \u201caffiliates\u201d who install cameras in their vehicles, such as repossession trucks, and capture license plates as they drive around. Each vehicle can have up to four cameras attached to it, capturing images in all angles. These affiliates <a href=\"https:\/\/drndata.com\/blog\/content_library\/drn-af-filiates-revenue-share-program\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">earn monthly bonuses<\/a> and can also receive <a href=\"https:\/\/drndata.com\/elevate-the-agent\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">free cameras and search credits<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2022, Weist became a <a href=\"https:\/\/dos.ny.gov\/become-private-investigator\">certified private investigator<\/a> in New York State. In doing so, she unlocked the ability to access the vast array of surveillance software accessible to PIs. Weist could access DRN\u2019s analytics system, <a href=\"https:\/\/drndata.com\/drnsights\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">DRNsights<\/a>, as part of a package through investigations company IRBsearch. (After Weist <a href=\"https:\/\/www.timesunion.com\/opinion\/article\/commentary-americans-numb-monitored-tracked-19742804.php\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">published an op-ed<\/a> detailing her work, IRBsearch conducted an audit of her account and discontinued it. The company did not respond to WIRED\u2019s request for comment.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere is a difference between tools that are publicly accessible, like Google Street View, and things that are searchable,\u201d Weist says. While conducting her work, Weist ran multiple searches for words and popular terms, which found results far beyond license plates. In data she shared with WIRED, a search for \u201cPlanned Parenthood,\u201d for instance, returned stickers on cars, on bumpers, and in windows, both for and against the reproductive health services organization. Civil liberties groups have already raised concerns about how license-plate-reader data could be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/license-plate-reader-alpr-surveillance-abortion\/\">weaponized against those seeking abortion<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Weist says she is concerned with how the search tools could be misused when there is increasing political violence and divisiveness in society. While not linked to license plate data, one law enforcement official in Ohio recently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wkyc.com\/article\/news\/local\/portage-county\/portage-county-sheriff-write-down-addresses-of-kamala-harris-supporters-who-display-yard-signs\/95-3d5f701d-01c2-4207-9c42-67d8aa0f01a4\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">said<\/a> people should \u201cwrite down\u201d the addresses of people who display yard signs supporting Vice President Kamala Harris, the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee, exemplifying how a searchable database of citizens\u2019 political affiliations could be abused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A 2016 report by the Associated Press <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/general-news-699236946e3140659fff8a2362e16f43\">revealed widespread misuse<\/a> of confidential law enforcement databases by police officers nationwide. In 2022, WIRED revealed that hundreds of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement employees and contractors were investigated for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/ice-agent-database-abuse-records\/\">abusing similar databases<\/a>, including LPR systems. The alleged misconduct in both reports ranged from stalking and harassment to sharing information with criminals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While people place signs in their lawns or bumper stickers on their cars to inform people of their views and potentially to influence those around them, the ACLU\u2019s Stanley says it is intended for \u201chuman-scale visibility,\u201d not that of machines. \u201cPerhaps they want to express themselves in their communities, to their neighbors, but they don&#8217;t necessarily want to be logged into a nationwide database that\u2019s accessible to police authorities,\u201d Stanley says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Weist says the system, at the very least, should be able to filter out images that do not contain license plate data and not make mistakes. \u201cAny number of times is too many times, especially when it&#8217;s finding stuff like what people are wearing or lawn signs,\u201d Weist says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cLicense plate recognition (LPR) technology supports public safety and community services, from helping to find abducted children and stolen vehicles to automating toll collection and lowering insurance premiums by mitigating insurance fraud,\u201d Jeremiah Wheeler, the president of DRN, says in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Weist believes that, given the relatively small number of images showing bumper stickers compared to the large number of vehicles with them, Motorola Solutions may be attempting to filter out images containing bumper stickers or other text.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Wheeler did not respond to WIRED&#8217;s questions about whether there are limits on what can be searched in license plate databases, why images of homes with lawn signs but no vehicles in sight appeared in search results, or if filters are used to reduce such images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cDRNsights complies with all applicable laws and regulations,\u201d Wheeler says. \u201cThe DRNsights tool allows authorized parties to access license plate information and associated vehicle information that is captured in public locations and visible to all. Access is restricted to customers with certain permissible purposes under the law, and those in breach have their access revoked.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">AI Everywhere<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>License-plate-recognition systems have flourished in recent years as cameras have become smaller and machine-learning algorithms have improved. These systems, such as DRN and rival <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/thomasbrewster\/2024\/02\/27\/flock-safety-surveillance-broke-state-law\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Flock<\/a>, mark part of a change in the way people are surveilled as they move around cities and neighborhoods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Increasingly, CCTV cameras are being equipped with AI to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/london-underground-ai-surveillance-documents\/\">monitor people\u2019s movements<\/a> and even <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/amazon-ai-cameras-emotions-uk-train-passengers\/\">detect their emotions<\/a>. The systems have the potential to alert officials, who may not be able to constantly monitor CCTV footage, to real-world events. However, whether license plate recognition <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/flock-safety-license-plate-readers-crime\/\">can reduce crime<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/cyrusfarivar\/2024\/02\/29\/flock-ai-cameras-may-not-reduce-crime\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">has been questioned<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhen government or private companies promote license plate readers, they make it sound like the technology is only looking for lawbreakers or people suspected of stealing a car or involved in an amber alert, but that\u2019s just not how the technology works,\u201d says Dave Maass, the director of investigations at civil liberties group the Electronic Frontier Foundation. \u201cThe technology collects everyone&#8217;s data and stores that data often for immense periods of time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Over time, the technology may become more capable, too. Maass, who has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eff.org\/cases\/automated-license-plate-readers\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">long researched<\/a> license-plate-recognition systems, says companies are now trying to do \u201cvehicle fingerprinting,\u201d where they determine the make, model, and year of the vehicle based on its shape and also determine if there\u2019s damage to the vehicle. DRN\u2019s product pages say one upcoming update will allow insurance companies to see if a car is being <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20240930142116\/https:\/\/drndata.com\/enterprise-edition\/\">used for ride-sharing<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe way that the country is set up was to protect citizens from government overreach, but there\u2019s not a lot put in place to protect us from private actors who are engaged in business meant to make money,\u201d Nicole McConlogue, an associate professor of law at the Mitchell Hamline School of Law, who has researched license-plate-surveillance systems and their <a href=\"https:\/\/law.stanford.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/05.31.22-McConlogue-Website-Version-1.pdf\">potential for discrimination<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe volume that they\u2019re able to do this in is what makes it really troubling,\u201d McConlogue says of vehicles moving around streets collecting images. \u201cWhen you do that, you&#8217;re carrying the incentives of the people that are collecting the data. But also, in the United States, you\u2019re carrying with it the legacy of segregation and redlining, because that left a mark on the composition of neighborhoods.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>License plate reading technology is a lot more insidious than is actually reported. I used to watch a repo specialist over a decade ago who has since retired, and he had a commercial system that allowed him to drive through parking lots and record license plates even flagging him for targets, and he could use [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8733","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tech","category-world"],"blocksy_meta":[],"featured_image_src":null,"author_info":{"display_name":"Jason","author_link":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/author\/jturning\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8733","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8733"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8733\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8734,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8733\/revisions\/8734"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8733"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8733"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8733"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}