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California Legislature Approves Trial Program For Electronic Plates
Do you worry that the widespread use of plate-scanning cameras might be used in ways that violate your privacy ? Now you can ratchet your worry level up a bit: Ars Technica reports that "This week, the California State Senate approved a bill that would create the nation’s first electronic license plate. Having already passed the state’s assembly, the bill now goes to Gov. Jerry Brown (D) for his signature." From the article: "The idea is that rather than have a static piece of printed metal adorned with stickers to display proper registration, the plate would be a screen that could wirelessly (likely over a mobile data network) receive updates from a central server to display that same information. In an example shown by a South Carolina vendor, messages such as 'STOLEN,' 'EXPIRED,' or something similar could also be displayed on a license plate. ... The state senator who introduced the bill, Sen. Ben Hueso, a Democrat who represents San Diego, did not respond to Ars' multiple requests for an interview or comment. It still remains unclear as to exactly why this bill was proposed and what its objectives are. The precise technical details of the program are similarly unclear, as is how long plate information would be retained and who would have access to it."
no stable system has been proposed, only a concept, and yet we're willing to confide in private industry to fill in the gaps? what happens if a rock hits my expensive plate? how much more will this cost than a traditional plate? whats to prevent me from reverse-engineering the plate and reducing an entire parking garage to STOLEN?
hundreds of questions remain unanswered. legalizing the plates is one thing but unless there is more transparency in the trial program or its restricted to a small minority of state vehicles i cant see this as any sort of appropriate service to californians from their duly elected government. and given the nature of devops and software engineering in general, isnt it a bit hasty for a "trial program?" Shouldnt this proceed more like googles autonomous driver system as opposed to make;make install; plate.exe; "we're good!" or at very least throw it around the security community and see if we can break it first (im assuming it would be trivial.)
Good people go to bed earlier.
Don't forget the part where everyones plates show gay pornography gifs after some 14 year old hacks their system.
So, when there is a hit-and-run accident the witnesses will be telling the police to hunt for the car with license plate number "EXPIRED"?
You don't think thieves would get around that by stealing other cars' license plates and swapping the plate/screen of the stolen car with other non-stolen vehicles?
Isn't that like stealing the PC display on which some information you want is being displayed, instead of just downloading the information into your own machine?
Ezekiel 23:20
Have you ever tried to read an LCD screen in sunlight? This is the best privacy idea evar! Thanks moron legislators from California.
If plates become electronic and networked, then the question needs to be asked, why do we even need a license plate to display a number at all.
CNSFSNP: Complex Non-Solution For Simple Non-Problem
Admittedly, idiot is often, but not always, an appropriate alternative term.
-WolvesOfTheNight
Someone in the legislature has ties and is getting kickbacks from the company that makes the technology, so they have a huge financial incentive to push thru this blatantly-invasive technology that will ultimately cost the taxpayers millions of dollars and provide virtually zero benefit.
See: red light cameras.
The objective is to make money for the company which paid into Ben Hueso's campaign fund and which, shocker!!, just happens to make exactly this sort of item or has "key patents" on it. Whenever something smells fishy, follow the money. Just ask yourself, "Who stands to benefit financially from this?" and you'll have your answer.
Good point. I didn't think about the bright side of all this.
California already has a cheaper system for identifying cars, which is the physical license plate. The California Highway Patrol (and police departments as far as I can tell) already don't car if you are driving around with expired plates (which is already very easy to distinguish) or even if you have plates at all. I see so many cars on a daily basis with nothing but a license plate frame and the dealer logo in it.
I have no doubt that this is really just the entry point for authorities to place a GPS unit in every car.
http://www.rootstrikers.org/
oh well, I was worried that our ex governors have nothing to brag about anymore. See that one right there? I did those plates, the way I made the R's look just right
Post modified for those of us here in Illinois...
"What do you have in the Blagojevich signature series? How about Ryan? Walker? Kerner?"
When you're dead, you don't know you're dead. It only affects the people around you. Same thing when you're stupid.