Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Cops Will Soon ID You Via Your Roof Rack (arstechnica.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the hide-and-seek dept.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: On Tuesday, one of the largest license plate reader (LPR) manufacturers, ELSAG, announced a major upgrade to "allow investigators to search by color, seven body types, 34 makes, and nine visual descriptors in addition to the standard plate number, location, and time." Such a vast expansion of the tech now means that evading such scans will be even more difficult.

"Using advanced computer vision software, ELSAG ALPR data can now be processed to include the vehicle's make, type -- sedan, SUV, hatchback, pickup, minivan, van, box truck -- and general color -- red, blue, green, white and yellow," ELSAG continued. "The solution actively recognizes the 34 most-common vehicle brands on US roads." Plus, the company says, the software is now able to visually identity things like a "roof rack, spare tire, bumper sticker, or a ride-sharing company decal."

50 of 98 comments (clear)

  1. Nice rack! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    See what I did there? Pigs.

    1. Re:Nice rack! by stooo · · Score: 1

      >> ...bumper sticker...
      Let's identify and catalog people based on their travel habits, location, and political inclination.
      What. could. possibly. go. wrong ?
      Then if the data doesn't leak by some "cyber attack" (you know it's only the russians), then we sell this data to corps.
      Again, What. could. possibly. go. wrong ?

      --
      aaaaaaa
  2. LPR? by ebcdic · · Score: 2

    What's LPR?

    1. Re:LPR? by markdavis · · Score: 1

      >"What's LPR?"

      License Plate Reader

    2. Re:LPR? by iggymanz · · Score: 2, Funny

      the command to print on the Berkley Printing System, of course. What? the cops tried to give it another meaning decades later you say? How do they expect to talk to normal people if they do that?

    3. Re:LPR? by Tablizer · · Score: 2, Insightful

      "Lose Privacy & Rights"
      At least that's the end result.

      --
      Table-ized A.I.
    4. Re:LPR? by GrBear · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Actually, it's ALPR, and it stands for Automatic License Plate Recognition. We've sold several systems to police forces in Canada, including ELSAG's products.

      Recognition is not 100% accurate though, especially in Canada with our more often than not dirty plates, and those funky polar bear shaped plates from the Northwest Territories, and Alberta's non-reflective plates.

      They're great for patrolling parking lots where the officer can drive up and down the rows of vehicles looking for outstanding warrants and stolen vehicles automatically.

    5. Re:LPR? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      The mechanical Hound slept but did not sleep, lived but did not live in its gently humming, gently vibrating, softly illuminated kennel back in a dark corner of the fire house. The dim light of one in the morning, the moonlight from the open sky framed through the great window, touched here and there on the brass and copper and the steel of the faintly trembling beast. Light flickered on bits of ruby glass and on sensitive capillary hairs in the nylon-brushed nostrils of the creature that quivered gently, its eight legs spidered under it on rubber padded paws.

      Nights when things got dull, which was every night, the men slid down the brass poles, and set the ticking combinations of the olfactory system of the hound and let loose rats in the fire house areaway. Three seconds later the game was done, the rat caught half across the areaway, gripped in gentle paws while a four-inch hollow steel needle plunged down from the proboscis of the hound to inject massive jolts of morphine or procaine.

      captcha: watchman

    6. Re:LPR? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      lp0 tesla on fire

    7. Re:LPR? by sysrammer · · Score: 1

      What's ebcdic?

      --
      His ignorance covered the whole earth like a blanket, and there was hardly a hole in it anywhere. - Mark Twain
    8. Re:LPR? by demonlapin · · Score: 1

      Of what use is it to identify the doctors’ cars at a medical center? It’s usually trivially simple; they’re the ones parked in spots that say “DOCTORS ONLY” or have their name on them.

    9. Re:LPR? by wiretrip · · Score: 1

      Actually, it's called ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) and is a British invention from 1976.

    10. Re:LPR? by AutodidactLabrat · · Score: 1

      Too true.
      American Law ENFORCERS have a preference for false positives resulting in a free pass for reprehensible, illegal-for-anyone-not-wearing-a-badge behavior.

  3. Camo paint by DRichardHipp · · Score: 1

    You think I can defeat these new LPRs using dazzle camo? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

    1. Re:Camo paint by Hadlock · · Score: 2

      I think digital camo near the edges and dazzle paint in the middle of the flat panels would be able to defeat this, until they switch to lidar and/or silhouette masking against a flat background.

      --
      moox. for a new generation.
    2. Re:Camo paint by msauve · · Score: 1, Troll

      Camo? "...and general color -- red, blue, green, white and yellow,"

      My car is dark gray, you insensitive clod.

      --
      "National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
    3. Re:Camo paint by llamalad · · Score: 2

      How about this instead: https://techcrunch.com/2018/01...

  4. Subarus by ichthus · · Score: 5, Funny

    Plus, the company says, the software is now able to visually identity things like ... bumper sticker

    If you RTFA, Subarus are not supported. Interestingly, the system is only able to support up to 10 bumper stickers.

    --
    sig: sauer
    1. Re:Subarus by arth1 · · Score: 1

      Interestingly, the system is only able to support up to 10 bumper stickers.

      Per car, or is that the total for the entire system?

    2. Re:Subarus by Drethon · · Score: 1

      Plus, the company says, the software is now able to visually identity things like ... bumper sticker

      If you RTFA, Subarus are not supported. Interestingly, the system is only able to support up to 10 bumper stickers.

      I think 10 bumper stickers should be more than enough to uniquely identify most cars.

    3. Re:Subarus by MountainLogic · · Score: 1

      I think 10 bumper stickers should be more than enough to uniquely identify most cars.
      You obviously have not visited the Fremont area of Seattle.

    4. Re:Subarus by PPH · · Score: 1

      e-Paper bumper stickers. Throw off the police. And change your politics every time the wind direction changes.

      --
      Have gnu, will travel.
    5. Re:Subarus by Drethon · · Score: 1

      I think 10 bumper stickers should be more than enough to uniquely identify most cars.

      You obviously have not visited the Fremont area of Seattle.

      Yeah but even if multiple cars of the same make/model have the same 10 bumper stickers, I don't think they will be in the same place. At least I assume the algorithm includes sticker positioning, not just identification.

    6. Re:Subarus by sysrammer · · Score: 1

      Plus, the company says, the software is now able to visually identity things like ... bumper sticker

      If you RTFA, Subarus are not supported. Interestingly, the system is only able to support up to 10 bumper stickers.

      That's because 10 bumper stickers will completely cover the back of a Subaru; plate, lights and all.

      --
      His ignorance covered the whole earth like a blanket, and there was hardly a hole in it anywhere. - Mark Twain
  5. You know what they say... by Monkey-Wrench-Inc · · Score: 1

    When roof racks are outlawed, only outlaws will have roof racks.

  6. Oh yah? by Tablizer · · Score: 2

    Classify this!

    --
    Table-ized A.I.
    1. Re:Oh yah? by Tablizer · · Score: 3, Funny

      It says, "Null; Delete all tables, no-confirm;"

      --
      Table-ized A.I.
    2. Re:Oh yah? by bmimatt · · Score: 1

      This seems appropriate here: Bobby Tables https://www.explainxkcd.com/wi...

  7. Off they come by martinX · · Score: 3, Funny

    Better take the roof racks off my Harley then.

    --
    When they came for the communists, I said "He's next door. Take him away. Goddam commies."
    1. Re:Off they come by rrohbeck · · Score: 1

      I never had roof racks on my bicycle. Checkmate, cops.

      --
      thegodmovie.com - watch it
    2. Re:Off they come by hackertourist · · Score: 1

      Don't bother, they'll still be able to recognize you by your exhaust sound. From 3 blocks away.

  8. Oh the irony by A10Mechanic · · Score: 1

    The subject was positively identified by the EFF bumper sticker on the back of his car.

  9. Looks like by bobstreo · · Score: 1

    it's time to get out my '57 Impala again.

    I'll probably get pulled over for having a non-recognizable auto instead of a black 4 door vehicle.

    1. Re:Looks like by iggymanz · · Score: 2

      I'm sure my grey Honda looks like tens of thousands of others with no bumper sticker

  10. Come find me! by bobbied · · Score: 1

    Good luck boys..

    I drive a white F150... There are millions of them rolling around in varying states of disrepair because nearly every company that buys Ford trucks buys white ones. Around here I can impersonate an illegal by towing a trailer with a couple of lawnmowers on it too... In a sanctuary city I'm Scott free (Until they see the old white guy driving. )

    --
    "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
  11. I'll now need ... by Alain+Williams · · Score: 1

    a tin foil hat for my car!

  12. What could go wrong? by Bugler412 · · Score: 1

    I'm sure there will be absolutely no problem with injurious or deadly police actions taken based on false identification or bad backend database data at all wille there? (I've been a victim even using the explicit license plate scanners)

    1. Re:What could go wrong? by nehumanuscrede · · Score: 1

      " based on false identification or bad backend database data "

      Trust me when I say they don't need such things to open fire on your vehicle. You need only drive something that vaguely resembles a vehicle they're looking for and they'll stand on the brake, jump out and go full death squad on your ass.

      As many of you will hold up the bullshit signs and demand citations, I will have you recall the story of Christopher Dorner where LAPD went full stupid on several civilians for merely driving a vehicle that looked similar.

      " In two separate incidents during the manhunt, police shot at three civilians unrelated to Dorner, mistaking their pickup trucks for the vehicle being driven by Dorner. One of the civilians was hit by the police gunfire, another was wounded by shattered glass, and a third individual was injured when police rammed his vehicle and opened fire. "

      Google it if you want more info.

  13. Bumper Sticker by PPH · · Score: 3, Funny

    I Support'); DROP TABLE Vehicles;--

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
  14. Fuck the police by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 2

    I'm going to paint "FUCK THE POLICE" on the roof of my car in paint that only shows up in infrared.

  15. Take the train by FunkSoulBrother · · Score: 1

    problem solved.

    1. Re:Take the train by FunkSoulBrother · · Score: 1

      Oh cool, maybe we'll get gun control then

  16. Convertible Drivers Unite by R3d+M3rcury · · Score: 1

    I don't have a roof, you insensitive clod!

  17. how to know if your spouse is cheating by mistycephus072 · · Score: 1

    Do you need service of a hacker who can help you get your job done? Search no more. They have reputable service to get your job done without trace, speedy work recovery, guarantee non data lost, expert in handling of Phone penetration, email hacks, WhatsApp previous and current messages access remotely and remote server shutdown.They are the guru in terms of service delivery. What are you seeking for?. Do you want get access to another WhatsApp, Phone, Email, Facebook, School Grades, spy on Phone. This is our job. Contact them Today for speedy work and no excuses....TEXT NUMBER:+15186284630 or through their WHAT'S APP number:+15185049376 or visit ehir website for better understanding .WEBSITE ; oneofonehack.com

  18. Truth is a defense by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

    They already know me by my bumper stickers, which reads, "My other car is your mom".

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
  19. I'm an American by rsilvergun · · Score: 1

    I drive a 20 year old piece of junk with only about 30% of the original pieces and so many dents it only resembles a car in the academic sense. So yeah, good luck with using AI on me.

    --
    Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
  20. Let's get it over with by SemperOSS · · Score: 1

    ... and get those RFID implants once and for all so they can track each of us too.

    --
    I don't need a signature to draw attention to myself.
  21. Re:you can't make stuff like this up by lannocc · · Score: 1

    From whois:

    Registrant Organization: Leonardo S.p.A.
    Registrant Street: Piazza Monte Grappa, 4
    Registrant City: Roma
    Registrant State/Province: RM
    Registrant Postal Code: 00195
    Registrant Country: IT
    Registrant Phone: +39.0632473314
    Registrant Email: info@akran.it

    --
    -IOVAR Web Dev Platform
  22. What Balls by Topwiz · · Score: 1

    So if I call the cops to complain about the guy in my town who drives a pickup truck with giant chrome testicles hanging from the hitch, they will know who I'm talking about?

  23. Vulnerability Detected by Gornkleschnitzer · · Score: 1

    general color -- red, blue, green, white and yellow

    Apparently, if you want to sneak past this system... just drive a black car.