Homeland Security is seeking a national license plate tracking system

Washington Post ^ | 02/18/2014 | Ellen Nakashima and Josh Hicks

[Responsibility2nd]

The Department of Homeland Security wants a private company to provide a national license-plate tracking system that would give the agency access to vast amounts of information from commercial and law enforcement tag readers, according to a government proposal that does not specify what privacy safeguards would be put in place.

The national license-plate recognition database, which would draw data from readers that scan the tags of every vehicle crossing their paths, would help catch fugitive illegal immigrants, according to a DHS solicitation. But the database could easily contain more than 1 billion records and could be shared with other law enforcement agencies, raising concerns that the movements of ordinary citizens who are under no criminal suspicion could be scrutinized.

A spokeswoman for DHS’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) stressed that the database “could only be accessed in conjunction with ongoing criminal investigations or to locate wanted individuals.”

The database would enhance agents’ and officers’ ability to locate suspects who could pose a threat to public safety and would reduce the time required to conduct surveillance, ICE spokeswoman Gillian Christensen said.

“It is important to note that this database would be run by a commercial enterprise, and the data would be collected and stored by the commercial enterprise, not the government,” she said.

~snip~

Agents would be able to use a smartphone to snap pictures of license plates that could be compared against a “hot list” of plates in the database. They would have 24-hour, seven-day-a-week access, according to the solicitation, which was first noted last week by bloggers.

 

[Responsibility2nd]

Why bother with tracking our license plates? Seriously, just go ahead (and try!) to RFID all citizens at birth and just be done with the endless spying and snooping of US citizens.

[Still Thinking]

Creepy. If you live in a state with no front plates, time to get a pickup and drive around with the gate down.

[guardian_of_liberty]

Yes they are going to use this to track Illegal Alians. Right.

[null and void]

Nut-job Conspiracy Theory Ping!

To get onto The Nut-job Conspiracy Theory Ping List you must threaten to report me to the Mods if I don't add you to the list...

[DesertRhino]

Homeland Security. Created supposedly to protect us from Moslem terrorism.
Not the size of the USMC with twice the budget, and focusing squarely against the American people. This will be our Gestapo.

[Starstruck]

They will not be using this information until they decide to start using the information.

[jsanders2001]

> The national license-plate recognition database, which would draw data from readers that scan the tags of every vehicle crossing their paths, would help catch Tea Party members....fixed it

[DesertRhino]

Typo. That’s “Now the size of the USMC”

[Responsibility2nd]

The national license-plate recognition database, which would draw data from readers that scan the tags of every vehicle crossing their paths, would help catch fugitive illegal immigrants, according to a DHS solicitation.

Seriously?? To help catch fugitive illegal immigrants?

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.

You know - if they are gonna lie like that - then at least have the decency to come up with a more believable lie.

[Still Thinking]

The Department of Homeland Security wants a private company to provide a national license-plate tracking system that would give the agency access to vast amounts of information from commercial and law enforcement tag readers, according to a government proposal that does not specify what privacy safeguards would be put in place.

The only acceptable reliable safeguard is for this information never to come to them at all. Think about it -- what "safeguard" can be trusted when it's implemented by people who've shown chronic disrespect for our civil rights and privacy, and who, even if this were the one exception and they actually intended to secure the data, are so incompetent their software products come out like HealthCare.gov???

[Gaffer]

This will be our Gestapo.

"Whatchu talkin' bout, Willis?"

[Paladin2]

1984, 30 years later.

[Paladin2]

I have “antique” (they came from antique stores and are ~40 years old) plates on the front of a couple of vehicles. I’m wondering how that is going to work out.

[Buckeye McFrog]

Yet another reason guys like Rand Paul are embracing Ed Snowden Libertarianism. It’s going to get increasingly popular, given how the tin-eared bureaucrats continue to totter along as if nothing has changed.

[Ray76]

What did you think all those cameras were for?

[TomGuy]

would help catch fugitive illegal immigrants

LOL

“could only be accessed in conjunction with ongoing criminal investigations or to locate wanted individuals.”

LOL

“It is important to note that this database would be run by a commercial enterprise, and the data would be collected and stored by the commercial enterprise, not the government,”

ROFLMAO

[NewHampshireDuo]

<1>If you live in a state with no front plates, time to get a pickup and drive around with the gate down.

Not sure if it's front or back that they can capture. Maybe both. We have to have two plates in Maine. I did some research on things like bright IR LEDS to wash out the lettering on the plate but the results seemed to be mixed at best. Yes, tailgate down, perpetual mud, trailer hitch carrier, etc. might be the only good albeit awkward options.

[eyeamok]

And the answer is:

Form an LLC to hold Property, transfer all vehicles and re-register, so your vehicle has NO TIES to YOU when they scan and keep your plate info.

[Paine in the Neck]

...would help catch fugitive illegal immigrants, according to a DHS solicitation.

So they could more efficiently be signed up as democrat voters.

[TomGuy]

A spokeswoman for DHS’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) stressed that the database “could only be accessed in conjunction with ongoing criminal investigations or to locate wanted individuals.”

~snip~

Agents would be able to use a smartphone to snap pictures of license plates that could be compared against a “hot list” of plates in the database. They would have 24-hour, seven-day-a-week access, according to the solicitation, which was first noted last week by bloggers.

Which lie am I supposed to believe?