The fight over automated license plate readers is no longer limited to privacy advocates and civil liberties groups. Across America, residents, elected officials, and even entire city councils are increasingly pushing back against AI-powered camera networks that record passing vehicles and store vast amounts of data about where they travel. What started as a crime-fighting tool is rapidly becoming one of the most divisive technologies on American streets.
The debate recently exploded in Troy, New York, where a city council meeting stretched past midnight as residents blasted local leaders for continuing to use cameras supplied by Flock Safety. According to reporting by The Wall Street Journal, opponents described the system as a “dystopian hellscape,” arguing that collecting data on every passing vehicle creates a surveillance infrastructure that could easily be abused. In fact, it already has been across the USA but we’ll circle back to that.
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