The danger of license plate readers in post-Roe America

America could soon be turned against those who seek abortions or provide abortion care because of the Supreme Court's decision.

Nine states have almost completely banned abortion. Legislators in these states are discussing the possibility of preventing people from crossing state lines to get an abortion. One of the technologies that could be used to track people crossing state lines is automated license plate readers. They are also used by private actors.

ALPRs are cameras that are mounted on street poles, overpasses, and elsewhere that can identify and capture license plate numbers on passing cars for the purpose of issuing speeding tickets and tolls, locating stolen cars, and more. State and local police maintain databases of captured license plates and frequently use those databases in criminal investigations.

Private companies have access to license plate data collected by the police, as well as their own. Private companies and organizations that they work with have their own networks of ALPRs that are mounted to their cars. According to the company, it can capture data from over a billion vehicles a month.

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There are a lot of cars that have ALPRs on them. repo firms and government agencies buy that from them. Jay Stanley is a policy analyst at the American Civil Liberties Union. It's a giant, nationwide mass-surveillance system. It has serious implications if interstate travel becomes part of forced birth enforcement.

The company does not give customer data to third parties according to a spokesman. Customer data will never be shared or sold to third parties. While we can't speak for any other vendor, we have never and will never sell data to third-party organizations, including anti- abortion groups.

The company's cameras can be purchased by anyone. Neighborhoods and home owners associations are included in its customers. The cameras are installed in more than 1,500 cities in 42 states. The data from the Flock camera can be made available to the police, the home owner association's board, or the individual members of an entire neighborhood. The company has partnerships with hundreds of police departments across the United States.

Prior to publication, a request for comment from the company was not responded to.