The Department of Homeland Security wants to create a nationwide database with every American's license plate number according to a posting the agency issued looking for vendors to build the tracking system. But there are few details about what privacy safeguards would be put in place.
Under the plan, an officer could snap a picture of your plate with an iPhone and immediately be notified if it's on a list of "target vehicles.
" The license plate readers alert police if the driver is a wanted criminal or driving a stolen car.
While such a system is already in place in several spots around the country, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security wants a nationwide database.
Privacy advocates say it's another way the government is monitoring the movement of citizens.
Devices such as license plate readers and cellphone trackers "can tell whether you stayed in a motel that specializes in hourly rates, or you stopped at tavern that has nude dancers," David Fidanque, director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon, told the Associated Press. "It's one thing to know you haven't violated the law, but it's another thing to know you haven't had every one of your moves tracked."
According to Christensen, such a system would reduce the amount time required for surveillance and would give agents a greater ability to locate potential threats to public safety.
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