DEA Wants To Install License Plate Scanners and Retain Data for Two Years

An anonymous reader writes with news that might make privacy advocates a bit uneasy. From the article: "Everyone driving on Interstate 15 in southwest Utah may soon have their license plate scanned by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The DEA and two sheriffs are asking permission to install stationary license plate scanners on the freeway in Beaver and Washington counties. The primary purpose would be to catch or build cases against drug traffickers, but at a Utah Legislature committee meeting Wednesday, the sheriffs and a DEA representative described how the scanners also could be used to catch kidnappers and violent criminals. That, however, wasn't the concern of skeptical legislators on the Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Interim Committee. They were worried about the DEA storing the data for two years and who would be able to access it."

Comments

Scary

[Anonymous Coward]

First they store it for 2 years.. which is terrifying enough.. but we all know that will become 3 years.. then 4.. and before we know it, they'll be storying license plate scans for centuries.

At least future historians will have detailed records on who drove over Interstate 15 in southwest Utah in the 21's century. Of course they'll probably assume the plates represent our names or something..

Re:Scary

[aurispector]

"Papers, please! Pick up that can, citizen. You may not pass checkpoint until you pass government check!"

Amazing how many people are eager to throw themselves into the the arms of a totalitarian government. "No expectation of privacy" has morphed into "constant recording of activities".

Re:Scary

[Culture20]

Hell yes, government:bad. The worst google could do with the information is have a rogue employee use it to stalk people. The worst the government could do? Use your imagination. Government is supposed to be restricted for good reasons.