Video explanation of modern LPRs by Christophe
Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs or LPRs) are AI-powered cameras that capture and analyze images of all passing vehicles, storing details like your car's location, date, and time. They also capture your car's make, model, color, and identifying features such as dents, roof racks, and bumper stickers, often turning these into searchable data points.
These cameras collect data on millions of vehicles regardless of whether the driver is suspected of a crime. These systems are marketed as indispensable tools to fight crime, but they ignore the powerful tools police already have to track criminals, such as cell phone location data, creating a loophole that doesn't require a warrant.
For a detailed explanation of how ALPRs are a threat to privacy, see this ACLU article as well as this EFF article on ALPRs.
ALPRs invade your privacy and violate your civil liberties. Here's how: