Automatic License Plate Readers: A Growing Privacy Concern in the U.S.
Across the United States, Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPRs) are increasingly under scrutiny due to their perceived threat to civil rights. These high-tech cameras are designed to capture images of vehicles on public roads, sparking a debate over privacy and security.
Several states, including Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona, have responded to this controversy by halting their use of ALPRs in police departments. However, Reno remains an exception. The city solidified its partnership with Flock Safety, a prominent ALPR provider, in 2024.
Flock Safety has encountered increasing criticism amid reports of misuse by law enforcement officers.
Daniel Jenkins, from the Northern Nevada Democratic Socialists of America, is actively organizing events in Reno aligned with a national week of action spearheaded by DeFlock, an advocacy group scrutinizing ALPR deployment.
“The biggest thing is just educating people on how these systems work and what they are actually giving up as far as their privacy [is concerned],” Jenkins explained. “And just getting them to understand the level of information that these systems collect.”
The Biggest Little Action Group and Code Pink Reno are collaborating to host local events, beginning Wednesday with a community forum on digital security. This initiative is part of a larger movement involving activists in nearly 40 cities throughout the Mountain West.
Efforts to obtain a comment from the Reno police department were unsuccessful before the publication of this article.
