How police handle location data has become a point of contention for activists fighting for a number of causes, as many states across the country debate laws that criminalize women seeking abortion or parents obtaining gender-affirming care for their children.
The vast majority of data collected from license plate readers are unrelated to criminal investigations. But to members of law enforcement, they’re a valuable tool with countless success stories. To activists, they offer the government an unrestricted view into people’s daily lives.
Following inewsource's recent investigation into automated license plate readers, three of the five police departments that were illegally sharing drivers’ location data have since changed to comply with state law. The other two are pushing back.