Sound Off: Are License-Plate Readers an Intrusion on Our Privacy?

A technological tool that helped Novato police recover two stolen vehicles in less than a week is at the center of a controversy over privacy concerns  according to the Center for Investigative Reporting.

The paperback-sized devices, which are installed on the outside of police and other law enforcement  vehicles, are capable of reading and logging thousands of license plates on a typical eight-hour patrol shift, the CIR reports.

Agencies throughout the state have been gathering massive stockpiles of data, with millions of records logged into "intelligence fusion centers" monitored by local and federal law enforcement agencies.

Michael Katz-Lacabe, a computer security consultant, discovered  through a public records request that the San Leandro Police department had snapped 112 photos of his two vehicles - including one showing him and his daughters in their driveway, the CIR reports.

Katz-Lacabe told the CIR he's concerned the new law enforcement tool is encroaching upon the privacy of people not even suspected of being involved in criminal activity.

“You can tell who your friends are, who you hang out with, where you go to church, whether you’ve been to a political meeting,” he said.

The license-plate readers have nevertheless proven to be a useful tool for law enforcement.

The CIR report notes that the device helped Long Beach police arrest five suspects in a 2010 homicide, and aided in the recovery of celebrity chef Guy Fieri’s Lamborghini in 2011 in Tiburon, allegedly stolen by a teenager who has since been charged with attempted murder.

Do you believe the growing deployment of license-plate readers is a prudent use of technology law enforcement is using to keep us safe, or are you concerned that it's contributing to an Orwellian Big Brother environment?

Please share your views in our comments section.