A grassroots movement
We’re a bi-partisan, grassroots movement working to eliminate Automated License Plate Readers (ALPR) mass surveillance in towns across Connecticut. Learn how ALPRs pose risks for everyone and get engaged to protect your rights.
Some facts first
ALPR systems record your license plate, vehicle characteristics, timestamp, and location each time you pass a camera. The data is stored in the cloud where it gets shared with local law enforcement and third parties. The vast majority of the data collected just tracks law abiding citizens going about everyday life.
Unlike red-light or speed cameras, towns do not have to undergo public disclosure or input before installing ALPRs. Most people don't even know they're being watched. We are paying to be surveilled without our consent. West Hartford's system costs $65k+ annually in taxpayer money and was initially funded with a $500k federal grants.
100,000+
ALPR cameras are now spread across the United States, powered by cheap AI and big money. The advent of affordable AI is especially dangerous because it motivates maximal data collection (audio and video) that can be searched later for much more than just license plates.
ALPRs have been deployed across Connecticut. 50+ towns have deployed ALPR - but the majority of towns still do not have it.
See camera locations (note: due to lack of transparency, not all cameras have been mapped) ↗ALPRs gather tons of data about our daily lives. It poses similar 4th amendment concerns as cell phone location data that SCOTUS recently decided on in Chatrie v. United States. Even more, this form of mass surveillance puts innocent people in dangerous situations due to errors and is prone to abuse. Congresspeople have even raised concerns about national security risks.
Only one in three CT towns have ALPR systems. Let's join the majority that are doing fine without it. 89 cities nationwide have decided to stop using ALPR, including Connecticut's very own Windsor and Killingworth.
Peter Thiel's Founders Fund is among its capital backers. Thiel has some weird ideas about the world that necessitate instituting a surveillance superstate "that operates outside the checks and balances of representative democracy as described in high school textbooks.”
Surveillance companies' profit motives go beyond serving public interest. FLock Safety in particular has a pattern of deceiving public decisionmakers. The Flock CEO has had to walk back politically dangerous labels and is such a liar his own Chief Comms Officer has had to publicly distance himself from his boss's statements! Are these the kind of people you trust your private data with?
The bottom line
ALPR surveillance may help recover stolen vehicles and investigate serious crime. But can we really trust wealthy investors and for-profit companies to protect our data when they keep doing otherwise and lying about it?
The future of ALPR surveillance in your town should be decided through a democratic process with public input.
Things you can do next
