The Hidden Dangers of ALPR Surveillance

Mass surveillance does not keep our public safe, but endangers all City of Saratoga residents and guests.

Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) cameras threatens community privacy and civil rights, especially for vulnerable groups such as immigrants, people of color, religious minorities and LGBTQ+. The City of Saratoga in California has an estimated 120 ALPR cameras for a community of only 30,000 residents.

Using stored data, the ALPR data systems can create regular traffic patterns and predict where a driver will go in the future. The data can also reveal all visitors to a particular location, such as a place of worship, school, business, social club, medical facility or protest. Your vehicle fingerprint includes the vehicle’s color, make, model, physical damage and bumper stickers, as well as images of drivers and passengers. Sometimes the ALPR AI can misread license plates by one digit, causing dire consequences.

Despite California laws prohibiting ALPR data being shared with out-of-state and federal agencies, many have found ways to breach the system and access California data—all without judicial warrants or court orders. It’s a nationwide surveillance network without effective guardrails.