By Jess Reia
Publication Date: 2026-03-27 12:25:00
For decades, cars dominated urban planning in the United States.
Few could have predicted that they would one day also serve as surveillance hubs.
Automatic license plate readers have been installed at major intersections, bridges, and highway exits in thousands of cities across the United States.
These camera-based systems capture the license plate data of passing vehicles as well as images of the vehicle and timestamps. More recently, these systems use artificial intelligence to create a comprehensive, searchable database that can be integrated with other law enforcement data sets.
As a technology policy and data management expert, I see the proliferation of automated license plate readers as a cause for great concern. This comes as government agencies look for ways to target immigrant and transgender communities, are already using AI to monitor protests, and are considering using AI systems for mass surveillance.