License Plate Readers Spark Privacy Debate in Massachusetts

Dozens of police departments across Massachusetts are using automated license plate reader technology, or ALPR. While the technology supports enhanced public safety, some individuals concerned with privacy aren't so sure it's the way to go. 

The cameras, provided by a company called Flock Safety, capture and record license plates and locations as cars pass by. Using artificial intelligence, police who are contracted to use the system can track motorists as they investigate a crime based on the data recorded by the cameras.

Flock Safety Chief Legal Officer Dan Haley explained that the cameras capture what is visible to the public. Data collected from the cameras is stored on a server for approximately 30 days and is searchable by police departments that contract to use the system.

Police departments that use the system can restrict access, including federal agencies such as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Private companies can also use Flock Safety's ALPR. For example, shopping malls or apartment complexes can opt in to share the technology with law enforcement.

The core debate about ALPR centers on privacy versus public safety, with tensions over cross-agency data sharing and the balance between local control and national data access.

Supporters of the technology, including former police chiefs, argue that ALPR enhances public safety by locating missing persons, assisting with Amber Alerts, and aiding investigations.

Privacy advocates, however, warn that data collected by ALPR networks can be shared with numerous law enforcement agencies nationwide, potentially bypassing local democratic controls and weakening privacy protections.

"Communities must act to protect privacy, which is the foundation for a free and democratic society, by immediately ending their participation in this nationwide data sharing," Kade Crockford, director of technology and justice programs at the ACLU of Massachusetts, wrote in a statement to NBC 10 Boston.