EFF’s State Legislative Agenda to End ALPR Mass Surveillance
Police agencies across the U.S. have deployed Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) to capture images of passing vehicles along with time, date, and GPS coordinates. While the technology itself isn’t new (ALPRs have existed in various forms for more than 50 years , and in the U.S. since 1998 ), the surveillance landscape has shifted dramatically. Rapid advances in artificial intelligence and…
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has been advocating against Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) systems that enable police agencies to capture images of vehicles, including time, date, and GPS coordinates. While ALPR technology isn't novel, the advent of advanced artificial intelligence and data sharing has turned these systems into a nationwide tracking network.
Law enforcement agencies and private vendors like Flock Safety, Motorola Solutions, and Axon market ALPRs as essential tools for solving violent crime. However, these systems pose significant risks to digital rights, enabling authorities to stalk immigrants, protesters, Romani communities, and women seeking reproductive healthcare.
Additionally, police often use ALPRs for minor matters like enforcing school residency rules or investigating noise complaints. Recently, EFF uncovered instances of officers using ALPR databases without legitimate justification, logging search reasons such as "LOL" and "LMAO." In response to this public backlash, state lawmakers nationwide are enacting legislation to limit ALPR use.
Six states have passed laws in 2026: Connecticut, Kentucky, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington. To effectively combat ALPR mass surveillance, state legislators must implement comprehensive bans, limit real-time ALPR use, restrict hotlist creation and utilization, and prohibit data storage, search, and disclosure. These measures should be accompanied by strict transparency requirements and effective enforcement mechanisms, including a private right of action and the exclusionary rule.
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