Here in the computer age, technology is changing every day. New GPS devices are invented, scanning technology is updated, and computerized databases ease our transition into the twenty-first century. But what if a technology that jeopardized your privacy was invented? According to G.W Schulz from the Center for Investigative Reporting, technologies such as these have already begun violating privacy rights of American citizens.
By using a high-tech scanning device, police are able to compile an electronic database of 550 million license plates that record both innocent and criminal drivers. (The scanning device is placed on the exterior of police patrol cars and snaps photos of passing cars' license plates, automatically inputting the plate, the time, and the location into the database.) When a license plate of interest is scanned in, the policeman/woman on duty is alerted by the database. In the past, police needed a solid reason to pull over a vehicle. But with this new technology, when any plate "of interest" is scanned, the police have the right to "take an interest in the vehicle" (which I assume means pull over the car.)
Although this new crime-fighting technology has the potential to stop wanted killers, bank robbers, drug suspects, and kidnappers, along with finding stolen cars, license-plate recognition software also has the power to violate the public's privacy--a highly sensitive and controversial issue. People like their privacy, which is understandable. But does the luxury of privacy really outweigh its opportunity cost? (The opportunity cost, in this situation, being an increase in efficient crime fighting.)
Personally, I'm on the fence on this one. On the one hand, nefarious criminals could be identified and apprehended more easily. But on the other hand.... it's a little shady, and slightly alarming, to have a huge compilation of innocent (and criminal) records floating around somewhere in the ether-world.
What do you guys think about cops using plate-recognition?
(here's the post I based this article on)
2 comments:
I believe that law enforcement's rapid adoption of advanced technology such as plate-recognition and ShotSpotter (which locates gunfire) is ultimately beneficial. I can understand why people, upon first hearing of this plate-recognition technology, would perceive it as a violation of privacy, indeed a touchy subject. However, considering that none of us here are "wanted killers, bank robbers, drug suspects," kidnappers, or auto thieves, I don't think we ought to be worried about this.
The probability of a glitch in the system erroneously detecting our license plates as "plates of interest" is miniscule, and even in that unlikely case, it would only waste fifteen minutes of our time and of the time of whoever is pulling us over. As long as we don't do anything that would warrant scrutiny from the police, we should be fine.
I think this technology could prove to be a valuable tool in crime-fighting and tracking down such individuals.
I don't think that capturing images of "innocent" license plates constitutes a serious breach of privacy; a car's license plate is, after all, intended to be easily visible. What I find worrisome about this technology is the other potential applications. Since this detection system records the date, time, and location of each photographed license plate, information gathered from a series of systems could easily be used to track any person's movements. And although any "innocent" person shouldn't have anything to fear from this either, I still find myself extremely wary of such a potential breach of privacy.
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