Automated License Plate Readers (**ALPRs**) are rapidly becoming a ubiquitous surveillance technology, creating a comprehensive, searchable map of every driver's movements. These systems, networked across cities, are designed to continuously collect and retain location data on every vehicle, regardless of individual suspicion. The **EFF** argues that this form of mass surveillance is not only problematic but "irredeemably harmful," asserting that no policy or feature update can render it safe. ### The Case Against ALPRs While often presented as a narrow tool for purposes like recovering stolen vehicles, ALPRs in practice sweep up data on every passing driver. This indiscriminately collected data is then stored in searchable databases, creating a system that can be easily weaponized. The **EFF** highlights risks such as its potential misuse against immigrants, political dissidents, and other targeted communities, particularly as federal agencies like **ICE** escalate their operations. Crucially, the **EFF** emphasizes that the risk isn't merely in the *misuse* of ALPRs but in the very existence of mass surveillance itself. There is no configuration of an ALPR network that eliminates this fundamental threat. Beyond the overarching surveillance concern, ALPRs are linked to several predictable harms: * **Errors Leading to False Arrests:** Innocent drivers are frequently arrested or menaced by police due to ALPR inaccuracies. * **Abuse by Law Enforcement:** Officers have been known to abuse ALPR systems to stalk individuals, including past or potential romantic partners. * **Data Theft Risk:** Any large database of personal information, including ALPR surveillance databases, inherently creates a risk of data theft and subsequent harm to data subjects. * **Chilling Effect on Dissent:** ALPR surveillance of protests and the targeting of activists can chill participation in First Amendment-protected activities. ### Fighting Mass Surveillance on Every Front The **EFF** employs a multi-faceted approach to combat ALPR surveillance: * **Local Advocacy:** Working with communities and decision-makers at the city level to prevent ALPR purchasing and dismantle existing systems. The **EFF** points to examples where local communities have successfully refused or removed ALPR contracts, demonstrating that these systems are not inevitable. * **State-Level Legislation:** Pushing state legislatures to establish strict limits on ALPR surveillance, including data-deletion rules and use restrictions, to mitigate the harms of existing systems. * **Impact Litigation:** Filing amicus briefs in courts nationwide, arguing that warrantless police searches of ALPR databases violate the Fourth Amendment. The **EFF** and **ACLU of Northern California** are actively suing the **San Jose Police Department** over its practice of warrantless searches, citing violations of the California Constitution. They have also successfully challenged the sharing of ALPR data with federal and out-of-state agencies in California. * **Investigative Journalism:** The **EFF**'s investigative team uses public records requests and lawsuits to expose how law enforcement uses ALPRs, publishing reports and advocating for audits, such as the successful lobbying for a **State Auditor investigation** into law enforcement's use of ALPRs in California. ### Coordinated Action Against Mass Surveillance The **EFF**'s strategy involves integrated advocacy, where local refusals, statehouse restrictions, impact litigation, and investigative activism work in concert. The goal is clear: to eliminate ALPR surveillance and build the public power necessary to keep such mass surveillance infrastructure off our streets, rejecting its harmful presence and consequences.