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The License Plate Privacy Project aims to protect drivers from warrantless ALPR surveillance with legal action, legislation, and public awareness.
License Plate Privacy Project Seeks to Halt Widespread Warrantless Vehicle Tracking
The Institute for Justice (IJ) has launched the License Plate Privacy Project, a national initiative combining litigation, legislation, advocacy, and media to fight the warrantless use of automatic license plate reader (ALPR) cameras in thousands of U.S. communities.
Attorneys Warn of Fourth Amendment Threats in Everyday Driving
Michael Soyfer, an IJ attorney, warned that the Fourth Amendment issues “are only getting worse as communities … begin using ALPRs or expand their existing surveillance networks.” Joshua Windham, IJ senior attorney, said the current use of these cameras is “ripe for abuse” because police can search the databases “for nefarious reasons or no reason at all”.
License Plate Privacy Project Raises Awareness for Michigan Drivers
ALPR systems from Flock Safety, Motorola Solutions, PlateSmart, and others record every vehicle that passes by, using AI to store identifying information in massive databases. Law enforcement agencies often share this data across jurisdictions. While the press release does not cite a Michigan-specific case, the License Plate Privacy Project could influence legislative and community discussions in Michigan, where privacy advocates have raised similar concerns.
Multi-Pronged Strategy Defines License Plate Privacy Project’s Approach
The campaign will push model legislation in state legislatures, back grassroots activists resisting ALPR deployment, continue courtroom challenges, and make ALPR location data accessible to the public.
Past Wins Strengthen License Plate Privacy Project’s Efforts
IJ’s federal lawsuit against Norfolk, Virginia’s 170 Flock Safety ALPR cameras advanced after a judge ruled that “a reasonable person could believe that society’s expectations [of privacy] are being violated.” In Arkansas, the group got a camera relocated that photographed a family’s driveway every time a car passed. In Scarsdale, New York, the village ended its ALPR contract after IJ worked with local activists.
Growing National Debate Over ALPR Technology
Civil liberties groups have long warned that ALPR systems can chill lawful behavior. Flock Safety says it’s in more than 5,000 communities, scanning 20 billion plates monthly. In 2015, the FBI paused ALPR purchases over privacy concerns.
Potential Impact of License Plate Privacy Project in Michigan
Michigan lawmakers could draw on the License Plate Privacy Project’s model legislation to set limits on ALPR use, mandate warrants for database searches, and provide public transparency tools.
Related news
- FBI records show internal privacy concerns about ALPR systems dating back more than a decade.
- Civil rights advocates say nationwide cooperation between agencies on ALPR data may bypass state-level protections.
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