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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."

13 of 98 comments (clear)

  1. LPR? by ebcdic · · Score: 2

    What's LPR?

    1. 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?

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

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

      --
      Table-ized A.I.
    3. 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.

  2. 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
  3. 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.
  4. 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."
  5. 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.
  6. Re:Looks like by iggymanz · · Score: 2

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

  7. Re:Camo paint by llamalad · · Score: 2

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

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

    I Support'); DROP TABLE Vehicles;--

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
  9. 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.