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Massive License Plate Databases
https://cdt.org/blog/government-keeps-its-eyes-on-the-road-with-invasive-license-plate-reader-program/
On April 2, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a
Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) that describes how the DHS Immigration
and Customs Enforcement (ICE) â?? including ICEâ??s primary investigative
offices, Enforcement and Removal Operations and Homeland Security
Investigations â?? will find the present and past location of drivers by
accessing a massive private database of vehicle location information.
The program raises serious privacy concerns, with the specter of
individualsâ?? location data being collected on a mass scale, stored for
a prolonged period, and used without effective restrictions.
According to the PIA, both fixed and mobile license plate readers
record license plate number, a digital image of the license plate, the
vehicleâ??s make, model, and state of registration, GPS location, a time
stamp, and sometimes â??the environment surrounding a vehicle, which may
include drivers and passengers.â?? A private company â?? probably Vigilant
Solutions, which has amassed of database of 2.5 billion license plate
location records, will hold the data. ICE can then use license plate
numbers to query a database, and provide a â??hot listâ?? of license plate
numbers under surveillance to the private company so that when there
is a hit on one of those numbers, ICE will receive immediate notice of
the location of the license plate. Queries can uncover all recorded
sightings of a license plate for the previous five years, or as far
back as the statute of limitations for the crime being investigated.
......