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A Bipartisan Amendment Would End Police License Plate Tracking Nationwide (wired.com) 81

Posted by BeauHD from the cease-and-desist dept.
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Wired: US lawmakers plan to introduce an amendment Thursday at a House committee markup hearing that would prohibit any recipient of federal highway funding from using automated license plate readers for any purpose other than tolling -- a sweeping restriction that, if adopted, would bring an immediate end to state and local ALPR programs across the United States. The amendment, obtained first by WIRED, is sponsored by Representative Scott Perry, a Pennsylvania Republican and Freedom Caucus member, and Representative Jesus "Chuy" Garcia, an Illinois progressive whose state has become a flash point in the national fight over ALPR misuse.

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will mark up the underlying bill -- a $580 billion, five-year reauthorization of federal surface transportation programs -- at 10 am ET on Thursday. The amendment runs a single sentence: "A recipient of assistance under Title 23, United States Code, may not use automated license plate readers for any purpose other than tolling." The amendment is brief, but its reach would be vast. Title 23 funds roughly a quarter of all public road mileage in the US, including most state and county arteries and many city streets where ALPR cameras are becoming ubiquitous. Conditioning that funding on a ban of the technology would, in practical effect, force any state, county, or municipality that takes federal highway money (essentially all of them) to either remove the cameras or restructure their use around tolling alone.

The amendment's cosponsors, Perry and Garcia, represent opposite ends of the House's ideological spectrum but converge on a surveillance concern that has gathered momentum in legislatures and city halls across the US as ALPR networks have quietly become a pervasive layer of American road infrastructure. ALPR cameras -- mounted on poles, overpasses, traffic signals, and police cruisers -- photograph every passing license plate, log times and locations, and feed data into searchable databases shared across agencies and jurisdictions. [...] Privacy advocates have long warned that the aggregation of license plate data amounts to a de facto warrantless tracking system. New York University School of Law's Brennan Center for Justice has documented the integration of ALPR feeds into police data-fusion systems that combine plate data with surveillance and social media monitoring. And the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital rights nonprofit, has documented a range of police misuse, including the past targeting of mosques and the disproportionate deployment of the technology in low-income neighborhoods. Earlier this week, 404 Media reviewed FBI procurement records that reveal the agency is seeking up to $36 million for nationwide access to ALPR data, which could let it query vehicle movements across the U.S. and its territories through a commercial database.
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A Bipartisan Amendment Would End Police License Plate Tracking Nationwide More

A Bipartisan Amendment Would End Police License Plate Tracking Nationwide

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  • Loopholes? (Score:3)

    by cruff ( 171569 ) on Friday May 22, 2026 @11:11AM (#66155792)
    Are they assuming most law enforcement and civic jurisdictions doing this are receiving federal funds? The ban would have to extend to prohibiting contracting with third parties who don't themselves receive federal funding.

    • Another loophole is to outsource to private contractors. The state/city/municipality still gets their sweet delicious federal funding, and their private contractor does the dirty work of running the license plate readers.

      Another loophole is to feign ignorance. Most states and cities operate under the protocol of "if we're not caught, then it's not illegal" (of course, this only applies to THEM not to YOU). So they can keep doing surveillance, but clandestine. And just never use it as admissible evidence

      • So they can keep doing surveillance, but clandestine.

        Solar-powered LPR cameras ain't exactly inconspicuous.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by pesho ( 843750 )
      Shhhh... you are giving away the grift.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by stulew ( 9337151 )

      Are they assuming most law enforcement and civic jurisdictions doing this are receiving federal funds? The ban would have to extend to prohibiting contracting with third parties who don't themselves receive federal funding.

      True. Title 23, United States Code,only applies to funding sources for Transportation, mainly highways. many ALPR cameras are local street ranged viewing, like retail areas, of which funding can legally be gotten from other taxing receiving agencies. It's insidious.

    • LOL, this is never going to even get out of committee let alone pass both houses and be signed into law.

      You are falling for a fundraising gimmick, where legislatures "propose bills" they know have no chance of passing and then issue press releases about that and use it for fundraising.

      It costs nothing to propose any legislation.

  • This would be amazing, and therefore cannot stand (Score:5, Insightful)

    by flibbidyfloo ( 451053 ) on Friday May 22, 2026 @11:16AM (#66155804)
    There's no way this ends up happening because it would be a wonderful thing for our rights, and 'murica doesn't do that kind of thing any more.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by rta ( 559125 )

      I want to believe!

    • So how can this be allowed if there is so much graft around this technology that is flowing through thousands of hands in the government offices?

      Here is an example: https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/news... [dot.gov]

      This here: https://simpler.grants.gov/opp... [grants.gov]

      Funding Opportunity Number: FM-MHP-26-002
      Assistance Listing: 20.245
      Funding Details: $52.7 million expected total amount to award

      Executive Summary:
      The objective of the HP-ITD program is to advance the
      technological capability and promote the deployment of
      intelligent trans

      • Don't pretend you wouldn't celebrate it as a great step forward if your Lord and Savior were the one promoting it, instead of the current leader.

        Though ultimately, this could be an improvement for drivers and trucking companies. The logs truckers are legally required to keep and carry are a substantial burden. If the government can track it instead that could allow the drivers to spend more time actually driving and less time doing paperwork. You should be celebrating that as it means they have more

        • I have no idea what your point is at all. Seriously, are you OK? Just to make it clear - I am against governments, I am against governments using any technology to make it easier for government to oppress people and this is one instrument of oppression.

          • Just to make it clear - I am against governments

            Your post history contradicts that. The correct statement is that you are against governments that are not run by your Lord and Savior. For you, the first rule that needs to go is the separation of church and state, you want to fuse the two forever together.

  • I can imagine that Representative Perry and Representative Chuy were both approached by FBI agents for their cars being parked outside a hotel that was a known spot for escorts to meet their Johns...

  • I look forward to the implementation of 1-million dollar "tolls" that the FBI is willing to waive if you just let them put a laser-mapping GPS up your butt.

  • Mixed feelings (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Keick ( 252453 ) on Friday May 22, 2026 @11:34AM (#66155854)

    We've had a marked increase of these fixed license plate readers popping up all over my community (~30,000 pop) supposedly for the purpose of catching kidnappers. I know of at least 4 between my house and my office (7 miles).

    That is absolutely a noble cause and according to grok there are roughly 2000 per year in my state. However it also notes that less than 4% of those "not family disputes" related, and the stereotypical abduction is only several hundred a year country-wide.

    Which means that's a rather large expense (liberty, and dollars) for an extremely rare event. Which also means that can't possibly be the real reason for these fixed plate readers that are popping up all over South Western Virginia.

    20 years ago when it required a human in the loop watching traffic camera feeds looking for a specific vehicle/plate it seemed reasonable limit of the technology that kept the privacy aspect somewhat in check.

    But now with AI vision, each plate can be detected a location/time stamped and stored for decades. Given police historical access to every vehicle that ever passed one of these readers for all of time; Someone robs a 7-Eleven and only knows the guy was in a red truck... now every red truck that was ever picked up by a reader in town within 30 minutes of said robbery is a person of interest.

    • One thing you could do is leave the scanners in place, but make it illegal to store the data except on a list of license plates of interest. Of course, that list would have to be carefully curated, in good faith. Suuuuure it will be.

      • So... allow the LPRs and speed cameras and street light cameras to continue to exist, but not store data until something happens (and when the cops hear about the fight, start storing data at that point, after the fight is solved... and, the cops can't see anything because it wasn't stored... maybe store a rolling half-hour or something.

        Yeah... that works super-well!

    • There is a crowd sourced map showing Flock cameras. https://deflock.org/ [deflock.org]

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by mackil ( 668039 )
      A family member works for law enforcement in the camera and data department, and uses Flock cameras all the time, for all kinds of crime. They have proved very useful and have improved the departments efficiency tremendously.

      All access to the software is logged, and every access has to be reported and attached to investigations.

      I personally do not want a surveillance state, but it seems silly to ignore technology that improves law enforcement and saves money at the same time. As long as strict controls

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by unrtst ( 777550 )

        As long as strict controls are in place, which do not allow abuse, and it remains within the strict uses outlined by law, why not?

        Because we don't trust that those predicates will be met, and we know the security will be insufficient to the task. The correct way to protect this data is for it to not exist.

        Personally, I'd be more likely to support this if those pushing it were honest and fully embraced the capabilities from the start. It's not that I desire a surveillance state, but if we're going to allow all this data to be captured (and that's ALREADY happening), I'd rather we be open about it than for it to be abused for the worst

      • it seems silly to ignore technology that improves law enforcement and saves money at the same time.

        Even if it harms [thehill.com] a few [theguardian.com] innocent people [theatlantic.com]?

        And they were lucky that SWAT didn't come after them. That can get a person killed for doing nothing wrong.

        "It is better that ten guilty persons escape than that one innocent suffer." --William Blackstone

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by PPH ( 736903 )

        They have proved very useful and have improved the departments efficiency tremendously.

        Well, there's the problem. We need less efficiency, not more. A cop on every street corner. Who will be available to hassle the POC in the "wrong" neighborhood and conduct stop and frisks when things get a bit slow.

        People need to do what our local miscreants do when they don't want to be surveilled: take the bus. There are far too many people driving anyway. Think of the environment!

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by unrtst ( 777550 )

          People need to do what our local miscreants do when they don't want to be surveilled: take the bus.

          Ah, yes. Use your credit/debit card or digital wallet (ex. Apple Pay) to take the bus to avoid surveillance.

          FYI, though I'm not sure of the myriad of other cities, NYC MTA busses only accept cash for local/limited routes, and that will be phased out by the end of 2026 for a fully digital system.

          If feasible, take a bike. Maybe use a car share service (ex. zipcar)? Everything would still be tracked, but connecting those dots might add enough of a layer to prevent some abuses of the data.

      • It seems there was a missed opportunity to define regulations around surveillance cameras utilized by the government. The Feds or others (EFF I'm looking at you) could describe measures that have to be in place in such devices.

        Some ideas to spit-ball might include
        -The images are only captured to the device and are immediately, hard-deleted once the license plate number is resolved.
        -Things like vehicle color and possibly any other printed words like model, bumper stickers, brand icons can likewise be stored

      • Because false positives are a thing and cops who stop, attack, kill, arrest, detain, lay hands on, attempt to interrogate, approach, or otherwise darken the days of the innocent are not, themselves, terminated, charged with assault and kidnapping, and locked away never again to breathe free air or to look upon the sun or sky without bars interposed. Nor are DAs who charge (lie) the innocent or judges who go along and allow these shenanigans.

        See to it that the police, DAs, and judges are all properly punish

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Anonymous Coward

      But now with AI vision, each plate can be detected a location/time stamped and stored for decades.

      AI? Bollocks! You've been able to implement ALPR with OpenCV and 50 lines of commented Python code for years before AI became a marketing buzzword. This stuff can run on hardware not more sophisticated than an RP2040 with a webcam attached.

  • We may need to tinker with individual laws -- but the bigger picture is as in my sig: "The biggest challenge of the 21st century is the irony of technologies of abundance in the hands of those still thinking in terms of scarcity."

    The results from whatever the laws will likely remain problematical as long as we have a political mythology built around scarcity while we also have super-powerful computers which could be used for universal surveillance or all sorts of other problematical -- or beneficial -- thin

  • Home Depot and Lowe's are installing them (Score:3)

    by wwphx ( 225607 ) on Friday May 22, 2026 @12:11PM (#66155938) Homepage
    Not only are the cameras spreading all over town here, I went to buy some stuff at Home Depot and found them at the entrances to their lot. So I turned around to go to Lowe's, and found the same thing there. Did a little digging and found that they have 'a problem with shoplifting' and this is their solution. So I guess I'm taking my business to Ace and Harbor Freight and some other locals.

    I'm estimating that my plate is getting tagged at least a half-dozen times a day.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by hwstar ( 35834 )

      Go the the small business hardware stores and lumber yards. They won't have the cameras for a little while until Flock offers to install them for free.

      • Let the businesses know that the day they install those cameras is the day they lose your (and others like you) business.

  • Are speed cameras a type of license plate tracking? Seems like it to me.

    • That is certainly one purpose for them. The stated use-case is to only employ them in case of emergency (general example is a kidnapping.) That's a valid use I suppose. The problem is, there's no feasible safeguard to ensure they are only every used for such noble purposes. And, especially with the rise of AI/ML/visual recognition, they could easily be used for general surveillance of the population before it became public knowledge and or controlled (whether by law enforcement or even outside actors.)

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by unrtst ( 777550 )

      Are speed cameras a type of license plate tracking? Seems like it to me.

      Absolutely yes.
      Tangent question: Are speed cameras a type of toll camera? (the one exception they carved out in the law)

    • As a principled opponent of Panopticon tracking cameras and an unprincipled opponent of speed cameras, I would put them in radically different categories.

      Speed cameras and red light cameras only take a picture when they detect a violation in a particular location. If you don't want your picture taken, don't speed or don't run the light.

      Flocks and their ilk take pictures of everyone and track everyone everywhere, with the data being stored in completely unaccountable private clearing houses available for pu

  • Banks use these for repoing vehicles. You're being tracked either by the plates on your car, the EZ Pass for toll collection, the cellular connection in newer vehicles, the LoJack for higher risk loans or the phone in your pocket.

  • 1) I totally support restricting LPR data collection/sharing
    2) This will likely never pass, at least not without tons of "exceptions"
    3) I am not in favor of this type of mechanism- Federal government using funding blackmail to strip States of their rightful powers (see the 10th Amendment).
    4) Regardless of the law, I have no doubt the 3-letter agencies will STILL have secret access to the data. It might stop localities or States from access, though.

    Really, I don't even oppose having LPR collection for speci

  • "Prohibit any recipient of federal highway funding ..." is not the same as "prevent any recipient of federal highway funding ...".

    I predict that the people who salivate over this kind of data will find ways to collect it in spite of the prohibitions. It's just the nature of the beast.

  • What if the federal government scrapped the gasoline tax and instead tracked you with ALPR's (Automatic License Plate Readers) to determine how much you use the roads. They would know where you went on every trip. They would charge you the segment cost as the crow flies between each ALPR.

    I think this is where they are going with this.

    You might even be double or triple charged. Once by the feds, and again by the state, and maybe even the city or county you live in.

    Folks, It's going to get very expensive to

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by PPH ( 736903 )

      This.

      Our state (Washington) is pursuing road usage charges based on GPS data in place of gas taxes. Capturing EV usage as well. Don't have a GPS? Just report your annual odometer readings. Didn't drive all those miles within the state? You should have bought a reporting GPS receiver. We already have a "GoodToGo" system for bridge tolls, express lanes and the like. But we have far more readers along our roads than is necessary to collect charges. Effectively, a giant tracking network.

      And then there's urban

  • I keep track off the location of my credit card. When I see a camera on a business, I wave at it and make certain it sees me.

    I have zero issue with popo knowing where I've been, and if there is a need to prove I was in another state when someone accuses me of committing a crime elsewhere, I will subpoena every record I have that shows I was somewhere else. This includes cell phone tower records.

    There have been cases of cameras exonerating people falsely/wongly accused. One case I'm trying to find aga

    • Awaiting Troll or overrated mods.

      Right on time... I'll bet whoever marked me Troll has a cell/smartphone and thinks that it doesn't track you.

      Have the courage of your privacy convictions - Burn your Social security, move to a compound in Idaho, and barter chickens for other goods.

      You should probably file off your fingerprints as well. Then file them off again every few years

  • 'Nuff said.

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