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Forget Scanning License Plates; Cops Will Soon ID You Via Your Roof Rack

posted by Fnord666 on Sunday May 20 2018, @03:33AM   Printer-friendly
from the one-small-step-for-big-brother dept.

MrPlow writes:

Submitted via IRC for SoyCow3941

On Tuesday, one of the largest LPR manufacturers, ELSAG, announced a major upgrade to "allow investigators to search by color, seven body types, 34 makes, and nine visual descriptors in addition to the standard plate number, location, and time."

Such a vast expansion of the tech now means that evading such scans will be even more difficult.

For years, Ars has been reporting on automated license plate readers (ALPRs, or simply LPRs)—a specialized camera often mounted on police cars that can scan at speeds of up to 60 plates per second.

Those scans are compared against what law enforcement usually dubs a "hot list" before alerting the officer to the presence of a potentially wanted or stolen vehicle. All scans are typically kept in a police database for weeks, months, or years on end.

These devices are now in common use by cities big and small across the United States, as well as many countries around the globe, including the United Kingdom. Police at the upcoming royal wedding in London will use LPRs to monitor unauthorized vehicles.

Source: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2018/05/forget-scanning-license-plates-cops-will-soon-id-you-via-your-roof-rack/

Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 2) by MostCynical on Sunday May 20 2018, @04:28AM (3 children)

    by MostCynical (2589) on Sunday May 20 2018, @04:28AM (#681774) Journal

    But, but, if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear! Right?

    --
    "I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
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  • (Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday May 20 2018, @05:08AM (2 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday May 20 2018, @05:08AM (#681781)

    Fine, then I get arrested for "indecent exposure"!

    • (Score: 2) by Gaaark on Sunday May 20 2018, @10:11AM (1 child)

      by Gaaark (41) on Sunday May 20 2018, @10:11AM (#681821) Journal

      First they came for all the people arrested for indecent exposure, but I was well dressed (and white), so I did nothing and watched as they hauled Ethanol away........
      ;)

      --
      --- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---

      • (Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday May 20 2018, @09:11PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday May 20 2018, @09:11PM (#681962)

        First they came for all the people arrested for indecent exposure, but I was well dressed (and white), so I did nothing and watched as they hauled Ethanol away........

        I, too, can make statements with irrelevant details:

        First they came for all the people arrested for indecent exposure, but I was well dressed (and had eaten a burrito for lunch), so I did nothing and watched as they hauled Ethanol away........