Opinion: San Jose's vast surveillance network is watching you. Be afraid.

"The government surveils you every time you drive through San Jose, collecting a trove of highly revealing data that police search thousands of times per month without ever seeking a warrant. It's an unchecked police power, an end run around judicial oversight and a blatant privacy invasion. It's also a violation of the California Constitution. That's why we at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, with ACLU of Northern California, have sued the city, its police chief and its mayor."

"Nearly 500 automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras line the streets of San Jose, quietly capturing and storing images of every driver who passes by. This surveillance network indiscriminately records millions of trips every month, whether people are on their way to work, dropping their kids off at school, seeking health care, going to a place of worship or attending a protest. San Jose stores this data in a massive, central database and holds onto it for a full year"

"Despite their name, ALPRs record far more than just license plate numbers. San Jose's fleet of high-speed, computer-controlled cameras automatically log precise locations, timestamps, full photos and even specific vehicle details, including bumper stickers. San Jose's ALPR vendor also offers AI-powered features that claim to predict suspicious movements and reveal when cars frequently travel to the same places together. Using ALPR location data, San Jose police can easily reconstruct drivers' movements throughout the city over weeks, months or even a year."

San Jose operates nearly 500 automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras that capture and store images of drivers. The network records millions of trips monthly and logs precise locations, timestamps, photos, and vehicle details like bumper stickers. The city keeps the data in a centralized cloud database for a full year, longer than many cities. Data flows into a third-party searchable database run by Flock Safety, which offers AI features to predict suspicious movements and reveal cars that travel together. Police search the ALPR database thousands of times monthly without warrants, raising privacy and California constitutional concerns. Civil liberties groups have sued city officials over the practice.

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