"In May of this year, 404 Media published evidence that Illinois automated license plate reader data was being accessed on behalf of federal agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement as well as directly by law enforcement agencies across the country, including in Texas, who used the information for immigration enforcement and to monitor people seeking abortions."
"This all came despite an Illinois law passed in 2023 that made it illegal for that data to be used by state or local police agencies to enforce laws that interfere with reproductive rights or investigate a person's immigration status."
"As I argued, Illinois elected officials attempted to do the impossible: both spur the growth of a vast surveillance apparatus by enabling the rapid adoption of automated license plate readers (ALPRs) across the state, while also trying to place limits on how the data could be accessed. Now, Illinois elected officials and Flock Safety, one of the fastest growing surveillance vendors in the country, have doubled down and are creating conditions for history to repeat itself."
Evidence showed Illinois ALPR data was accessed by federal agencies like ICE and by law enforcement across the country, including Texas, for immigration enforcement and to monitor people seeking abortions. A 2023 Illinois law prohibited state or local police from using ALPR data to enforce laws that interfere with reproductive rights or investigate a person's immigration status. Breaches of those limits occurred. Illinois policies enabled rapid ALPR adoption while attempting to limit data access. Flock Safety and state officials continued practices that increase risk of future circumventions. ALPRs capture images of every car and scan plates against hot lists.
#automated-license-plate-readers #surveillance #privacy #immigration-enforcement #reproductive-rights
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