Cities Forced to Feed License Plate Data into Federal Surveillance Network
Cities Are Forced to Funnel License Plate Data to a Federal Surveillance Program
The Trump administration is using a 1980s anti-drug program, HIDTA, to force cities to send automated license plate reader data from Flock, Axon, and other cameras to federal servers, where it can be accessed by multiple agencies and shared with the DEA's National License Plate Reader Program. Records and court documents reveal a complex system that bypasses local privacy restrictions and public oversight, raising significant concerns about mass surveillance and transparency.
If you’re pissed about Flock then you should be pissed about this. No doubt this database contains license plate reader data from Flock as well as from other providers of license plate reader technology.
- NDlurker
How do we mess with the data? Swap out magnetic bumper stickers daily? Obscure license plates? Frequent DIY vinyl wrapping to change color?
- Cider9986
There's no such thing as friendly neighborhood mass surveillance. We need to treat data as a bad thing to have. All data that is collected can be abused. There's probably a manifesto or something saying this more eloquently.
- sohrob
It seemed like the loudest voices opposed to "Big Government" were those in the pro-Trump MAGA camp and yet I've heard nary a peep from most of them regarding things like this which are directly spearheaded by Trump's administration.
- grogenaut
could cities just not have the readers?
- charcircuit
All the states working together is what it is going to take to win the war on drugs.