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Repo Men Scan Billions of License Plates -- For the Government (washingtonpost.com)
The Washington Post notes the billions of license plate scans coming from modern repo men "able to use big data to find targets" -- including one who drives "a beat-up Ford Crown Victoria sedan."
It had four small cameras mounted on the trunk and a laptop bolted to the dash. The high-speed cameras captured every passing license plate. The computer contained a growing list of hundreds of thousands of vehicles with seriously late loans. The system could spot a repossession in an instant. Even better, it could keep tabs on a car long before the loan went bad... Repo agents are the unpopular foot soldiers in the nation's $1.2 trillion auto loan market... they are the closest most people come to a faceless, sophisticated financial system that can upend their lives...
Derek Lewis works for Relentless Recovery, the largest repo company in Ohio and its busiest collector of license plate scans. Last year, the company repossessed more than 25,500 vehicles -- including tractor trailers and riding lawn mowers. Business has more than doubled since 2014, the company said. Even with the rising deployment of remote engine cutoffs and GPS locators in cars, repo agencies remain dominant. Relentless scanned 28 million license plates last year, a demonstration of its recent, heavy push into technology. It now has more than 40 camera-equipped vehicles, mostly spotter cars. Agents are finding repos they never would have a few years ago. The company's goal is to capture every plate in Ohio and use that information to reveal patterns... "It's kind of scary, but it's amazing," said Alana Ferrante, chief executive of Relentless.
Repo agents are responsible for the majority of the billions of license plate scans produced nationwide. But they don't control the information. Most of that data is owned by Digital Recognition Network (DRN), a Fort Worth company that is the largest provider of license-plate-recognition systems. And DRN sells the information to insurance companies, private investigators -- even other repo agents. DRN is a sister company to Vigilant Solutions, which provides the plate scans to law enforcement, including police and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Both companies declined to respond to questions about their operations... For repo companies, one worry is whether they are producing information that others are monetizing.
Derek Lewis works for Relentless Recovery, the largest repo company in Ohio and its busiest collector of license plate scans. Last year, the company repossessed more than 25,500 vehicles -- including tractor trailers and riding lawn mowers. Business has more than doubled since 2014, the company said. Even with the rising deployment of remote engine cutoffs and GPS locators in cars, repo agencies remain dominant. Relentless scanned 28 million license plates last year, a demonstration of its recent, heavy push into technology. It now has more than 40 camera-equipped vehicles, mostly spotter cars. Agents are finding repos they never would have a few years ago. The company's goal is to capture every plate in Ohio and use that information to reveal patterns... "It's kind of scary, but it's amazing," said Alana Ferrante, chief executive of Relentless.
Repo agents are responsible for the majority of the billions of license plate scans produced nationwide. But they don't control the information. Most of that data is owned by Digital Recognition Network (DRN), a Fort Worth company that is the largest provider of license-plate-recognition systems. And DRN sells the information to insurance companies, private investigators -- even other repo agents. DRN is a sister company to Vigilant Solutions, which provides the plate scans to law enforcement, including police and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Both companies declined to respond to questions about their operations... For repo companies, one worry is whether they are producing information that others are monetizing.
The life of a Repo Man is always intense.
Note that they scan and capture every plate they see, regardless of its status. Entered into the database is time, location and picture of the plate.
As many other posters may point out. it's bulk data collection.
So back to the basic question. How do I prevent myself from
being scanned while out on the road and being placed into this database.
all while doing it legally
if you see me, smile and say hello.
Is it legal to have bumper stickers that look like licence plates?
Put 2 lookalike out-of-state plates on either side of the genuine plate.
They sentenced me to twenty years of boredom
That sounds suspiciously like the "if you're not doing anything wrong, you have nothing to hide" argument. The fact is, we now live in a 24x7 surveilance police state, with the corporate bloodsuckers monetizing the raw data wherever possible.
Ding Ding Ding, we might have a winner.
but the data is still collected in bulk
your concept is sound because you can label the side plates as no-plate ( which I believe police still use ) and that's how it's entered into the system
that's going to fuck up someone's database LOL
if you see me, smile and say hello.
Some quotes from the article:
The company's goal is to capture every plate in Ohio and use that information to reveal patterns. A plate shot outside an apartment at 5 a.m. tells you that's probably where the driver spends the night, no matter their listed home address. So when a repo order comes in for a car, the agent already knows where to look.
Repo agents are responsible for the majority of the billions of license plate scans produced nationwide. But they don't control the information. Most of that data is owned by Digital Recognition Network (DRN), a Fort Worth company that is the largest provider of license-plate-recognition systems. And DRN sells the information to insurance companies, private investigators - even other repo agents. DRN is a sister company to Vigilant Solutions, which provides the plate scans to law enforcement, including police and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Which would indicate every plate scanned ends up in a database. Regardless whether it's on some "wanted" list. And that data is passed on, used for purposes other than what it was gathered for.
That seems like an enormous invasion of privacy. How it's even possible that is legal, is beyond me. In the European Union such shit wouldn't fly (I think). Well perhaps except in police state the UK that is...
Not to mention there's no need for a plate scan to ever leave the scanning vehicle. Not even for a lookup in a "wanted" list: such lists are relatively small, a copy could easily be kept onboard the scanning vehicle, a scanned plate compared against, no match? Forget that plate immediately, only record/upload hits.
Shooting pics in public with -perhaps- some recognisable faces in it, is one thing. But keeping tabs on everyone that passes by is an enormous invasion of privacy - public place or not. That should be illegal unless there's a very pressing need for it. And even then only done with the recording aspect kept to the minimum necessary.
... this data, there's nothing from stopping them from buying it from private companies that do their dirty work for them.
Spirit of the law, schmirit of the law.
CUR ALLOC 20195.....5804M
You obviously have a very narrow view of the world and are trying to apply your own reality to others even when its not applicable. In my city for instance you could not lead any sort of productive life without a car. The city is sprawling and public transport is spotty at best. If you moved to the ideal location it might be possible, but how are you supposed to get the money to afford that move?
While you make a good point *now*, in the near future the same is likely to apply to walking when facial recognition systems are all over the place.
That's an interesting idea. Looking at stalking statutes, this wouldn't be covered. As example statute:
Sec. 42.072. STALKING. (a) A person commits an offense if the person, on more than one occasion and pursuant to the same scheme or course of conduct that is directed specifically at another person, knowingly engages in conduct that [long list of harassment etc]
Stalking is a repeated pattern of behavior fixated on a specific individual. This is the opposite - trying to see as many cars as possible, with the ideal goal of seeing every car in the state.
It was an interesting idea, though.
Note that they scan and capture every plate they see, regardless of its status.
3. Don't live in a neighborhood with a lot of deadbeats.
Notice that you can accomplish 1, 2 & 3 just by choosing not to be poor.
If you found out what the scan database table name is you could model your plates on this idea...
https://xkcd.com/327/
You have the right to remain sentient. If you give up the right to remain sentient, you will be elected to public office
You know that they are only doing high risk neighbourhoods at the moment. The more their industry grows, the more they will cover. Eventually every inch of road will be monitored by either LeO scanning for crims, repo guys like this, or bail bondsmen.
Between the various private agents operating public functions, we will soon be in the era of total pervasive surveillance.
Could backfire:
A man whose car bore personalized license plates reading 'NO PLATE' received notices for thousands of unpaid parking tickets.
https://www.snopes.com/fact-ch...
Nobody can. Thats the idea. Recall the Domain Awareness System https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
That allows the feds to talk about under oath before any oversight committee that the US federal databases only contain images of past criminals.
What is for sale on the open market is never mentioned.
Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
People also have the right to take pictures in public, which would be impossible if you couldn't include private property in your shot. If you're that concerned, there are other options... park your car such that your plate can't be seen without trespassing on your property, or cover your plate up every time you park at home and take it off again before leaving. Or if you're really extreme unscrew the plates and take them inside with you. The latter two options there are some places with local ordinances against, so check first.
A lot of places the police consider walking around late at night suspicious enough to stop and ask for ID, and you should know how these things go by now, if you refuse they'll come up with some 'articulated suspicion', especially in the half of states with stop-and-identify laws, that will force you to ID yourself. Anyone who says there's no 'papers, please' is likely privilege enough to e.g. never had to be walking around suburbs at night, or in an area where they have the wrong skin color (black in a white area, *and* white in a black area-- the blacks are committing some crime, and the white guys are buying drugs, until you satisfy the bigot with a badge otherwise).
You know, as much as I hate all this invasion of privacy, the thing that really gets me is how many crimes go unsolved. At least in my State, it's the norm that murders in cities don't get solved. That is, unless you do it in a public place with witnesses. When people talk about the quote of trading a bit of freedom for temporary security, I feel that it's really out of place. Virtually never are we getting the slightest bit of temporary security.
It's the same with all the data tracking for ads. Honestly, that's a great example of the point. Even if all the data tracking did do a good job figuring out my interests, it wouldn't show me ads for stuff I want. After all, I already know what my interests are and can usually find out with the internet related things and hence the stuff I want. No, the motive is to offer me things I don't really want to convince me I really want it. I mean, why else would they be offering it if they've got such a well targeted AI?
The point, of course, is that the point of the Police State isn't to do a better job policing. It isn't even to oppress people. It's honestly just to have the power to fuck with people. That's the most base amusement megalomaniacs have. Not to crush them. Not to elevate them. But to have toy soldiers and manipulate them into doing what you want without ever breathing a word of your orders to them. Convince them they want to do it, and they will fight to the death to do your bidding without lifting a fist against you.
In the US at least, you can absolutely take photographs that include private property from a public place. You can't do it in such a way as to violate an actual reasonable expectation of privacy or to photo something you normally couldn't see (e.g., a long zoom through a bedroom window), but if something would be ordinarily visible from public space, it can be photographed. Copyright has nothing to do with it; the copyright belongs to the photographer. A car in a driveway is not reasonably expected to be in private, since anyone walking or driving by could see it.
The eyes can't trespass. If it's something you could see, you can photograph it. Ask Barbara Streisand about trying to stop photography.
To fight the war on terror, stop being afraid.
The I'd rather have the repo man with my data than Uber
"First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
A low mileage 3 yr old car costs about the same as a low mileage 1 year old car. Cars don't start getting cheaper until either the mileage hits 40k+ or the age hits 5 years+. The reason is a car is a necessity in most of America. I had to buy my kid one because her college courses are all over town (major public U no less), they dictate your schedule to you and unless she has mutant teleporting powers I don't know about it's physically impossible for her to get to class. Thanks to 20 years of budget cuts there's not enough slots for all the kids with high GPAs so the school could care less if she can't make it.
Before judging people for buying things they can't afford you should do a bit more research into why they're buying these things. If more people questioned the system instead of blaming people for getting caught up in it we wouldn't have all these problems.
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yep, so keeping a private life is not easy to do,
that's why I am asking [about protection from ALPR privacy invasion]
Buy an ALPR unit yourself and situate it covertly by the parking lot entrance/ramp for your city's/State's Capitol/City Administration building(s) and/or Federal buildings, record their plates and build a database, and publish it online.
People, especially people in power, don't typically care about invasions of privacy by big data until it's *their* privacy being compromised.
Make it personal for those in power if you want something done about it.
Strat
Progressivism (aka US 'Liberalism'): Ideas so good they need a police/surveillance-state to enforce.
In parts of California, they wanted to outfit garbage trucks with license plate readers as well: https://www.mercurynews.com/20...
Even more pervasive, since garbage trucks drive by each and every residential address, every week.
That doesn't mean they were meant to be scanned and stored complete with date, time, and location, in ever growing databases. They were ment to be able to find whoever is responsible for the car at need, not "in case we might need it someday". Certainly they weren't ment to become parts of large datasets that end up being re-sold and re-diced by a growing gaggle of companies and governments.
There is a subtle difference in there somewhere, but where?
OR you have a decent job that has caused you to think you can have a life of supreme luxury, ending up with bills on REALLY expensive things rather than duct-taped-together rust buckets?
-=This sig has nothing to do with my comment. Move along now=-
Better yet, scan entrances to a CIA operation and cross-check your data with employment records to find the people registered for unrelated jobs: those are your spies.
I'm not suggesting to expose spies or compromise national security or any criminal investigations. I'm simply suggesting that these sorts of invasions of privacy might get more attention if important people actually had a personal stake in protecting personal privacy because of bringing home the fact to them that their power does not insulate them.
After all, as they like to tell us, ALPR doesn't require any special permissions and is not illegal because if you're in public anyone can photograph/video you and/or your vehicle without your permission and they can do anything with that data including storing it in a database and using algorithms on it and posting it to the internet. Goose-gander.
Strat
Progressivism (aka US 'Liberalism'): Ideas so good they need a police/surveillance-state to enforce.
You are welcome to try. You should however be aware that the rules that apply to the populace do not necessarily apply to the Ruling Elite, and that you might incur life-altering consequeces for acting... Unwisely. Just saying. Take it as friendly advice. Those are difficult times, the economy being what it is, people should be mindful of their places.
Although that may be true, what price would you pay and what risks would you be willing to take to fight for the freedom and personal privacy of yourself and everyone else including those you care most for? Make no mistake, this is the start of monitoring, tracking, storing, and analyzing the movements of every vehicle and person which is Big Brother writ far larger, and ends up at a place far more dangerous than anything in "1984".
Strat
Progressivism (aka US 'Liberalism'): Ideas so good they need a police/surveillance-state to enforce.
Nope. No ID card necessary to buy an apartment in the UK.
No ID card necessary to get a hotel room in the UK.
I know, I've done both.
Not sure about renting an apartment, haven't tried that. Certainly didn't need an ID card to rent a single room in a shared house though.
So unless you are homeless, it's papers please.
Maybe we're talking about a different UK. I'm referring to the British Isles, which one are you thinking of?
Two tricks come to mind:
1) Pay your bills.
2) Don't take loans on things you can't afford.
2a) Don't take loans at all, save cash and buy low mileage 3 yr old cars.
Spotted on a bumper sticker:
Easiest way to get back on your feet? Miss two car payments.
Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.
Ernest Hemingway
The technology presents interesting questions for search and seizure law in the U.S. Currently, in Carpenter v. United States, the Supreme Court is considering a case where warrantless cell phone tower data for over four months is an illegal search. Scotusblog has a page (the transcript is available as audio or video as the "Tr." or "Aud." under the "Argument" heading).
The key to Carpenter is that earlier cases held that there was no reasonable expectation of privacy in the metadata about a phone call since the phone company had it. The problem in this case is how much there was -- basically protracted surveillance via cell towers. Even though your license plate is in plain view on streets, perhaps the government cannot engage in protracted surveillance of it without a warrant.
Except stalking is illegal. Taking pictures in public locations is not. Not sure how you managed to conflate the two.
So you're saying stalking an individual can be prosecuted, but mass stalking is perfectly okay. Got it.
"Somebody has to do something. It's just incredibly pathetic it has to be us."
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