A very public hazard (Colorado Springs: fit in, vehicle registration, insurance)

[Idunn]

“You’re talking about a record of movements over time of hundreds of thousands of innocent persons,” said Mark Silverstein, legal director of Colorado’s branch of the ACLU, which is mounting a nationwide effort to learn more about how license plate data is used. “It certainly is extremely powerful technology.” [1]


This is a double edged sword being used for and against you. Police have the means of tracking the real time location of any vehicle, and increasingly do. This can be of benefit in cases such as locating stolen autos. It can have a chilling effect on personal liberty when activities with some presumption of privacy, say in visiting a doctor or counselor, will no longer be.

Colorado Springs is one Colorado town implementing this spy program. The technology uses small cameras attached to police vehicles, on the roofs of parking garages, above roadways or elsewhere which automatically recognize any United States license plate and its associated data, such as name, address, and a very long list of etc. Anything within such a cameras view will be registered, day or night.

Captain Dave Santos of the Colorado State Patrol mentions the obvious crime fighting aspects of such a program. Adding that, "I don't see the violation of privacy. I just don't." With the view that driving is a "privilege" rather than right. With a legal distinction between tracking vehicles and individuals—although tracking one clearly involves both.

I'll add that in a state such as Colorado driving is more often a necessity. Anyone doubting that should try only using public transit or walking, particularly outside the core of any city. Moreover, in a free country the ability to travel at will is inherent, and anything but a "privilege" that can be taken away at whim. Obviously towards the public good certain rules of the road should apply by common consent. But the state presently uses such aspects as driver's licenses for far more than insuring a modicum of driving skill. Indeed, that seems the least of their concerns, judging from unschooled actions of many drivers. Insofar as the CSP is concerned, I can tell you for a fact that they will resolutely refuse to patrol or cite drivers on sections of roads where they know gross speeding and other infractions are routine.

You may have also noticed that it is becoming increasingly rare to find an intersection on key roads without an implement of cameras newly installed. Such cameras are presumably not just there for show, and used for such tracking (certainly at minimum the capability in being tied to centralized data bases). In certain configurations they can also be used with facial recognition software to identify individuals. That technology is being rolled out throughout public areas, or in effect anywhere a camera might be found, at the 7/11, lingerie department at Macy's, or elsewhere.

Anyone concerned with this could begin by leaving their cell phone at home as the newer models are designed with GPS to provide one's exact real time location. Many appreciate such a feature, finding it useful in locating friends a host of other benign purposes. But there is inevitably a dark aspect to such things as well. While one might forego a phone or possibly opt out of such a feature, in many respects it is becoming more difficult to go about one's business without being spied on.

It is said that our younger generation, having grown up with such technology and presumptions, does not have the same regard or worries about privacy as their elders. Both could be right, and in measure wrong. Particularly with the powers that be claiming one should not have an expectation of privacy online, in their correspondence, banking, increasingly even at home, and most anywhere beyond it—yet are the very ones intent on as little transparency as possible in their own affairs (as public servants), much classified and denied the owners of this nation, presumably towards "national security."

Yet without individual security, including all due privacy, none exists for anyone collectively.

Veritas vos liberabit.

1) 'License-plate readers create 'massive intelligence database', Colorado Springs Gazette
License-plate readers create 'massive intelligence database' | massive, plate, create - Colorado Springs Gazette, CO

[jim9251]

So? Driving is a privledge not a right. There's no expectation of privacy when you're out in public.

[bluescreen73]

Just wait 'til all the states roll out mileage-based vehicle registration fees that use GPS devices to calculate your bill.

[chilaili]

Well, my cell phone doesn't have GPS and I don't have one in the car so that should be interesting for them. Besides, my mileage is so low that I should get a refund from the state on my registration fees.

[gggjfg]

I take pictures of houses, cars, people every week. I even took a picture of a State Police barracks recently so now I'm even, right?

You're right about the young people that consider lack of privacy the norm. That's their problem and since I'm old, I don't care. I've had high security clearances all my adult life, so NSA, et al, know everything there is to know about me. In fact they know stuff I've forgotten!

So, again, it's the present generations responsibility to look after their lives. I did my part for several generations.

Next

[NW Crow]

Driving is a privilege, that should only be denied for lack of ability or responsibility. It is an expected conditioned right for a "free" person in a "free country".

I will have to consider whether the driving of past criminals or persons under properly authorized suspicion should be tracked under any circumstances / standards but I object to any personalize tracking of law abiding citizens who are the ultimate owners of the servant, limited in powers by the constitution and other directives from the representative of the people, government.

As a citizen, I expect no systematic and not specifically targeted for any legitimate purpose invasion of my privacy by government when I'm out in public.

[KaaBoom]

Originally Posted by jim9251

So? Driving is a privledge not a right. There's no expectation of privacy when you're out in public.

That is one of the most stupid statements I have ever heard in my lifetime. Only in a police state is freedom of movement considered to be a privilege. If it's a privilege then the government could revoke any or everyones drivers license at anytime they wish. Why do you think the Nazis took away the rights to Jews to drive? The founding fathers of this country would be turning over in their graves to hear a basic human right like that, being called a privilege.

[wanneroo]

I watch a lot of British and Australian cop shows and they have used a system for years called the ANPR system that reads numberplates. It is a passive system that runs constantly using a camera system and anytime a number plate comes up that is stolen, tax not paid, no insurance, warrants against the driver, etc. it alerts the operator and they can pull the car over. It doesn't track anyone, just shifts through all the number plates as the police car rolls along and alerts them to dodgy cars.

As long as it does that, I don't have a problem with it. And that is the way those systems have to work anyways as I highly doubt humans can shift through trillions of pieces of benign information, such as the fact I just went to Subway to get lunch.

[KaaBoom]

Originally Posted by Idunn

[color="DarkOliveGreen"]Colorado Springs is one Colorado town implementing this spy program. The technology uses small cameras attached to police vehicles, on the roofs of parking garages, above roadways or elsewhere which automatically recognize any United States license plate and its associated data, such as name, address, and a very long list of etc. Anything within such a cameras view will be registered, day or night.

Captain Dave Santos of the Colorado State Patrol mentions the obvious crime fighting aspects of such a program. Adding that, "I don't see the violation of privacy. I just don't." With the view that driving is a "privilege" rather than right. With a legal distinction between tracking vehicles and individuals—although tracking one clearly involves both.

They have been doing this years here in California. BTW the cameras are not small. They are pretty big and mounted all over the outside of patrol cars. In the city I live in, about one-third of the city budget goes just to the police department. And no, they are not being used just to fight crime. If that was all they were using it for it should only be programed to locate stollen or wanted vehicles, not tracking the vehicles of law-abiding citizens. Basically we are spending a ridicules amount our tax money to pay these people who have zero respect for our rights, to spy on us.

[KaaBoom]

Originally Posted by wanneroo

I watch a lot of British and Australian cop shows and they have used a system for years called the ANPR system that reads numberplates. It is a passive system that runs constantly using a camera system and anytime a number plate comes up that is stolen, tax not paid, no insurance, warrants against the driver, etc. it alerts the operator and they can pull the car over. It doesn't track anyone, just shifts through all the number plates as the police car rolls along and alerts them to dodgy cars.

As long as it does that, I don't have a problem with it. And that is the way those systems have to work anyways as I highly doubt humans can shift through trillions of pieces of benign information, such as the fact I just went to Subway to get lunch.

Thats not the point. The point is that they are using your tax money to spy on you. And humans can't shift through trillions of pieces of benign information, but computers can. You should be asking yourself, why they are collecting all this information on you.