In Washington DC, Police can Track Your Car Way too Easily

Did you know that our nation’s capital has the densest network of license plate data-tracking technology? Me neither. But after a Washington Post article about the network, privacy advocates are up in arms about it.

Automatic license place readers are traditionally used to catch criminal. But with a three-year database of license plate locations, D.C. police can track residents all the time, no matter where they go.

The system is made up of 250 cameras throughout D.C. and its suburbs. Police are able to capture 1,800 images a minute and store that visual data in a huge database. It’s the database that has people worried: What are police doing with that information? What if an outside party gained access?

Following the article, the ACLU is taking a look at D.C.’s license plate tracking capabilities. I’m sure we’ll be hearing more about this case soon.

Digital Ads on California License Plates?

California license plates may soon display electronic ads and messages. With a $19 billion deficit, the state is facing hard economic times, but is this the answer?

The idea is to display the standard license plate when the vehicle is in motion, but when it is stopped for more than four seconds, digital ads would be displayed with the license plate number remaining visible at all times somewhere on the plate.

In emergencies, Amber Alerts or traffic information could be displayed in lieu of ads.

One question comes to mind: How will this affect license plate recognition technology?