Last year, the Department of Homeland Security announced a plan to create a database of license plates in order to facilitate tracking our movements. However, following an outcry from those concerned about civil liberties, the DHS announced they where not pursuing plans to create a national license plate database.
So we can breathe easy knowing that the federal government is not going to turn our license plates into another tool to track our movements, right? Well not exactly......
DHS is now soliciting bids from private companies that are already collecting license plate images. But don't worry, DHS has looked into it and determined that this will not threaten privacy because the agency will impose limitations on who can access the information and what purposes the information can be used for....
So we can rest easy since the government would never, ever, use personal information to abuse our rights.
DHS does have a point in that our privacy is already being violated as our driver's license plate information is being used by many local governments to collect revenue from drivers without granting them due process via Red Light "scameras." You can also be sure that the private driver's license companies are eager to "cooperate" with government officials in order to enhance their profits and prove they are responsible corporate citizens.
Most disturbing are the revelations that the Drug Enforcement Agency has been collecting license plate information since 2008. On the bright side, maybe DHS could save some taxpayer funds by using DEA's license plate database.
(Hat/Tip: Rare Liberty)
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PDFTags: Homeland Security, red light cameras, federal databases