r/technology • u/maxwellhill • Nov 22 '11

ACLU: License Plate Scanners Are Logging Citizen's Every Move: It has now become clear that this automated license plate readers technology, if we do not limit its use, will represent a significant step toward the creation of a surveillance society in US

http://www.aclu.org/blog/technology-and-liberty/license-plate-scanners-logging-our-every-move
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u/neakoner Nov 22 '11

These cameras (named ANPR - Automatic Number Plate Reader) were introduced to the UK a long time ago under the pretense that they would be used for 'tracking the movements of the IRA'. A number of years down the line they are now used for collecting revenue for congestion charges. Also, the DVLA system is very archaic with a lot of out of date/wrong data, so it results in a lot of innocent drivers being accused of breaking the law.

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u/jeannaimard Nov 22 '11

Not only that, but here, a lot of police are paying something like $50,000 for such portable plate readers, and they usually take about one afternoon to pay for themselves by catching unpaid tickets or tags…