License plate scanning

[butcher bergs]

I was painted for the first time yesterday with one of those plate scanners that seems to be all the rage with police departments nowadays. I've known for a while now that it's been happening for years but yesterday on my way home, there it was, unmarked police car parked on the side of 93 North with the trunk scanners running.

I've never really given it much thought but after I drove by the cruiser I was left with a bad feeling knowing that there is now a timestamp on my license plate and because I don't need Big Brother keeping tabs on my life any more than is already happening, I'm thinking about removing the plates from my car and keeping them in the vehicle with me. Let them pull me over for failure to display plates...fine by me. "The hardware fell out, officer, but I will correct that as soon as my privacy stops being invaded during my travels"

[PainfullySlow]

What about being on a 'Public Road' implies that your privacy is being invaded? So they have a technology that scans your plate. An officer on the side of the road with a notepad and pencil could have done the same thing for the past 100 years. If this technology can get the unregistered/uninsured motorists off the roads so that I, as a law abiding citizen, don't get fucked up the ass when they decide to plow into me while they are texting, I am all for it.

I truly mean no offense by this but if your idea is to break the law (removing plates) just so 'The Man' can't keep track of your comings and goings (which they can already do if you own a cellphone, use a computer, or ever use a debit/credit card), I think it may be time to trade in the good ol' USA for some third world country that doesn't care when/where you go, as long as you don't mind getting shot at occasionally.

[Rambunctous]

Highway Safety...not the goal but the excuse. Anyway they can find a way to take from you they will. Just look at Question 1 here in Massachusetts. Forced to put it on the ballot by the voters they have worded the question in a confusing double negative kind of way.

[obsolete]

Highway Safety...not the goal but the excuse. Anyway they can find a way to take from you they will. Just look at Question 1 here in Massachusetts. Forced to put it on the ballot by the voters they have worded the question in a confusing double negative kind of way.

Confusing? It's a change to a current law, vote yes if you want to change it. No if you don't. Pretty Clear

"Massachusetts Automatic Gas Tax Increase Repeal Initiative, Question 1

This proposed law would eliminate the requirement that the state’s gasoline tax, which was 24 cents per gallon as of September 2013, (1) be adjusted every year by the percentage change in the Consumer Price Index over the preceding year, but (2) not be adjusted below 21.5 cents per gallon.

A YES VOTE would eliminate the requirement that the state’s gas tax be adjusted annually based on the Consumer Price Index.

A NO VOTE would make no change in the laws regarding the gas tax. [6]"

The casino one is more confusing but it's the same thing, vote yes to change the law which would outlaw casinos and no to make no change which would allow them to happen. This is why you get a pamphlet in the mail which describes the question, explains what a no and yes vote will do and gives a pro and con argument written by people who lead the organizations who are for and against it.

Stop being angry at everything.

[TIMMYDUCK]

Good report from VPR with what they are doing with the information in Vermont

License To Scan: Vt. Police Stored Millions Of Plate Readings Last Year | Vermont Public Radio

[Petorius]

If you're not doing anything wrong, what does it matter?

[xrocket21]

Exactly, I don't understand the outrage.

the constant tracking of nearly EVERYTHING doesn't bother you guys in the least?

[number9]

the constant tracking of nearly EVERYTHING doesn't bother you guys in the least?

It bothers me, but a) it's legal and b) we already live in a surveillance state.

[backinthesaddle]

My sister-in-law's car was stolen at the zoo last year. She had to take a cab to the police station as I guess they don't send a car to the zoo for a stolen vehicle report. It was recovered fine later that day after it was used in a robbery. Fast forward a few months and she is driving home from Boston when two Mass State PD cars pull her over. She asked what was going on and they said they were pulling her over because her car was reported stolen. After some checking on the radio they confirmed it had been recovered months earlier but had to go back to police station to have the stolen status removed. As good as technology was both times to locate her car it was still a human oversight that her car wasn't removed from the "hot" list and required 2 trips to the police station (report stolen, make sure it was marked recovered).

[xrocket21]

It bothers me, but a) it's legal and b) we already live in a surveillance state.

So your theory is that since they already track everything we do, it doesn't matter if they want to do more?

[jasnmar]

... I think it may be time to trade in the good ol' USA for some third world country that doesn't care when/where you go, as long as you don't mind getting shot at occasionally.

Or New Hampshire
N.H. House Rejects License Plate Scanner Bill | New Hampshire Public Radio

[number9]

So your theory is that since they already track everything we do, it doesn't matter if they want to do more?

Sort of. I'm more concerned with the stuff that I find invasive, like warrantless wiretaps and metadata collection. Those are things that can't be done by a bunch of cops sitting in cars writing down license plates. I don't have a problem with the automation of things that can be done by hand; I have a problem with the automation of things that used to be impossible (and are illegal).

[GingahNinjah]

NH voted to Not allow plate scanners Live Free or Die FTW!!! lol suckers

[Rambunctous]

Confusing? It's a change to a current law, vote yes if you want to change it. No if you don't. Pretty Clear

"Massachusetts Automatic Gas Tax Increase Repeal Initiative, Question 1

This proposed law would eliminate the requirement that the state’s gasoline tax, which was 24 cents per gallon as of September 2013, (1) be adjusted every year by the percentage change in the Consumer Price Index over the preceding year, but (2) not be adjusted below 21.5 cents per gallon.

A YES VOTE would eliminate the requirement that the state’s gas tax be adjusted annually based on the Consumer Price Index.

A NO VOTE would make no change in the laws regarding the gas tax. [6]"

The casino one is more confusing but it's the same thing, vote yes to change the law which would outlaw casinos and no to make no change which would allow them to happen. This is why you get a pamphlet in the mail which describes the question, explains what a no and yes vote will do and gives a pro and con argument written by people who lead the organizations who are for and against it.

Stop being angry at everything.

Yes No Yes No is all you need to know.

[backinthesaddle]

I think we are getting new plates in RI for scanning purposes.

[butcher bergs]

What about being on a 'Public Road' implies that your privacy is being invaded? So they have a technology that scans your plate. An officer on the side of the road with a notepad and pencil could have done the same thing for the past 100 years. If this technology can get the unregistered/uninsured motorists off the roads so that I, as a law abiding citizen, don't get fucked up the ass when they decide to plow into me while they are texting, I am all for it.

I truly mean no offense by this but if your idea is to break the law (removing plates) just so 'The Man' can't keep track of your comings and goings (which they can already do if you own a cellphone, use a computer, or ever use a debit/credit card), I think it may be time to trade in the good ol' USA for some third world country that doesn't care when/where you go, as long as you don't mind getting shot at occasionally.

My times of travel and on which roads I select from my trip is not of "The Man's" concern. If you already have insurance I fail to see how you would get fucked by an uninsured motorist. Your insurance company would (or should) be taking care of things.

A ticket for failure to display tags (tags which are with the vehicle, mind you) would not stand up in court and any reasonable officer knows this.

This is not about me doing anything wrong. I enjoy not having to worry about people looking over my shoulder and unmarked cars sitting on the side of 93 North during rush hour is exactly what that is. Too bad so many people willingly buying how it's being spun--> "we're catching bad guys with this technology" While that may be true in part, the bigger picture is, the technology is tracking citizens.

I'm not easily offended so no worries.

[jasnmar]

Those are things that can't be done by a bunch of cops sitting in cars writing down license plates. I don't have a problem with the automation of things that can be done by hand; I have a problem with the automation of things that used to be impossible (and are illegal).

That's just a matter of scale. Having enough leos to monitor every call by listening in vs having enough leos to write down every plate number. It's no more their business where I go than what I say. Is this the most wrong thing government is doing, probably not, but it's just one more thing wrong with our government. This is becoming the modern version of show your papers.

[obsolete]

My times of travel and on which roads I select from my trip is not of "The Man's" concern. If you already have insurance I fail to see how you would get fucked by an uninsured motorist. Your insurance company would (or should) be taking care of things.

A ticket for failure to display tags (tags which are with the vehicle, mind you) would not stand up in court and any reasonable officer knows this.

This is not about me doing anything wrong. I enjoy not having to worry about people looking over my shoulder and unmarked cars sitting on the side of 93 North during rush hour is exactly what that is. Too bad so many people willingly buying how it's being spun--> "we're catching bad guys with this technology" While that may be true in part, the bigger picture is, the technology is tracking citizens.

I'm not easily offended so no worries.

Do you have to pay your deductible if your insurance covers you on an uninsured accident?

[obsolete]

That's just a matter of scale. Having enough leos to monitor every call by listening in vs having enough leos to write down every plate number. It's no more their business where I go than what I say. Is this the most wrong thing government is doing, probably not, but it's just one more thing wrong with our government. This is becoming the modern version of show your papers.

Monitoring every call would be and is illegal and therefore not a matter of scale. Plate scanners is a matter of scale because if you had more cops they would be able to type in and search the tags as they drove by. Not really the same thing.

[aldend123]

What about being on a 'Public Road' implies that your privacy is being invaded? So they have a technology that scans your plate. An officer on the side of the road with a notepad and pencil could have done the same thing for the past 100 years.

A reasonable point, but we all operated under the assumption that the data recorded by the pen and paper could only be used in a certain subset of ways (vs putting it in a state or federal database and tracking patterns with a computer) and to have that officer paid to do this should be for good cause. But if a computer that costs one officer-year can record plates for the department over the next 10 years, and automatically upload it all to a database, that isn't the same thing they could do for the past 100 years.

Remember that any data, owned by anyone, including the police, is at risk for being stolen/leaked. With enough plate readers, and enough data, there could be some overlooked consequences. Like if you didn't want people to know you like going to the strip club on Friday nights. Or you visit a gay bar that's the only business on Street X, and you weren't ready to reveal this to the public. Sure you could be spotted, but getting that tracked, recorded, and leaked to be searched by the public is a different story.

[cdovego]

[jasnmar]

Monitoring every call would be and is illegal and therefore not a matter of scale.

Yet every call is being monitored, perhaps not listened to, but monitored.

[SteveM]

Mud,

Obscure some of the information on the plate with mud.

Or, get one of those James Bond rotating license plate gadgets.

Or, mount the plate upside down and claim you're dyslexic.

[number9]

Monitoring every call would be and is illegal and therefore not a matter of scale. Plate scanners is a matter of scale because if you had more cops they would be able to type in and search the tags as they drove by. Not really the same thing.

Monitoring every call is exactly what the NSA has been doing for years.

[obsolete]

Yet every call is being monitored, perhaps not listened to, but monitored.

Yes, but it's not a matter of scale. I'm not quite sure where your logic is going.