There was very good editorial in the Clarion Ledger on ALPR (Automated License Plate Reader) Systems, their advantages in law enforcement, and the significant pitfalls when it come to privacy and civil liberties concerns.
We’ve commented a lot here on license plate scanners, and the surveillance state concerns, but this editorial has some good suggestions on how to adjust to to the data mining concerns, that include:
- strict laws that limit the use of the data to specific and documented purposes
- limited storage of license plate data to 30 days
- court review of procedures with regard to usage.
This is a great start for a discussion point, as these systems continue to get more widespread use, and the data collected is more broadly combined and analyzed.
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