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"Smart Plates" Could Betray California Drivers' Privacy

Posted by timothy on from the martha-reeves-has-some-'splainin'-to-do dept.

An anonymous reader writes with news that a California Senate Bill would authorize the state's Department of Motor Vehicles to test a digital registration plate system patented by San Francisco-based Smart Plate Mobile on as many as 160,000 cars. An article on the proposed trial in the Modesto Bee says, in part: "The state hopes the technology will improve efficiencies in vehicle registrations and potentially save the DMV some of the $20 million spent each year in postage for renewals. Privacy advocates say the approach could leave motorists vulnerable to government surveillance by undoing a Supreme Court ruling that required authorities to obtain search warrants before using vehicle tracking devices. 'It means everyone driving in California will have their location accessible to the government at any time,' said Nate Cardozo, a staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. In 2010, the Legislature considered a similar bill supported by Smart Plate Mobile, with the noted addition of allowing for scrolling advertisements when a vehicle comes to a stop for four seconds or longer." If only it took smart plates to track you.

7 of 262 comments (clear)

  1. Why is there an assumption of privacy? by Kenja · · Score: 5, Insightful

    While I'm not wild about being tracked, I simply don't feel that I have an assumption of privacy while driving around on a public road.

    --

    "Have you ever thought about just turning off the TV, sitting down with your kids, and hitting them?"
    1. Re:Why is there an assumption of privacy? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      lol @ liberals..
      "I voted for the benevolent dictator and all I got was this panoptic totalitarian police state."

    2. Re:Why is there an assumption of privacy? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Just because you are in public doesn't mean your location should be known by all parties with access to a database.

    3. Re:Why is there an assumption of privacy? by I'm+New+Around+Here · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Of course there's no assumption of privacy when you are in public. But would you want a cop to stand outside every store and bar, taking pictures of every person entering and leaving, and noting what they are carrying at the time? Would you want a cop to follow you everywhere you go, talking to a radio show that is broadcasting it live to the entire city?

      This isn't a case of "privacy while in public", this is a case of "being tracked everywhere you go", and generally the reason given is "for the public good", with "saving the taxpayers money" and "think of the children" thrown in as needed.

      So if you are "not wild about being tracked", why are you downplaying this attempt at tracking every driver anywhere they go?

      --
      If you think I voted for Trump because of this post, you're wrong. I voted for Dr. Jill Stein of the Green Party. Again.
    4. Re:Why is there an assumption of privacy? by hawguy · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I wonder how difficult it would be to *ahem*....de-activate this tech on the plate?

      I mean, maybe the power/battery accidently gets disconnected? Maybe a rock or hammer accidentally smashes some critical part of the plate system? What if the plate accidentally passed in front of some random, activated HERF gun...?

      I think this plate has an LCD screen that displays your license plate number while you're driving, and public service announcements (and ads of course!) while you're parked.

      If you disable it, it will be immediately obvious.

      But my question is, do I have to buy another expensive plate when a rock (or vandal) cracks the screen, or will the state pay for it since they are the ones that decided that the electronic plates would 'save money'? They are claiming that the new plates will save money because renewals will be automatically sent to the plate rather than needing someone to mail out a sticker, but I have a hard time believing that this electronic device is cheaper than a metal license plate that can last decades with the only maintenance being putting on a new sticker every year.

    5. Re:Why is there an assumption of privacy? by classiclantern · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Because of a thing called the Bill of Rights. You can't have free speech without anonymity, and the government has taken that away from us. You can't have freedom of assembly without anonymous movement, and the government has taken that away from us. The government has effectively taken away our Constitutional rights. BTW Mr. Here, our computer puts your vehicle in the vicinity of several known drug dealer's vehicles. That's enough probable cause to get a warrant to search your house, shoot your dog, and plant some evidence. We will be right over.

      --
      Now that I said that, I fell better.
  2. Bring it on! by kiick · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I for one would love to have a smart license plate. Just think of the hacking opportunities!

    Jailbreak your license plate and display snarky messages to the other drivers on the road. Change your state to "confusion". Temporarily change your plate number and see how many red light cameras you can trip in a row. "Borrow" your rude neighbor's id and run up their toll bill. Steal a smart plate and hack it so you don't have to pay to register your vehicle. The possibilities are endless.

    Any "smart" whatever can and will be hacked. If the incentives are large enough, those hacks will get widely distributed and used. How many incidents of license plate hacking will it take before the police decide it's just an expensive way to enable smart criminals? Not too many, I'd guess.