Over a month ago, we told you how Leonardo SignalTrace could soon tie your phone, pet, and AirPods to images captured by license plate readers. Now, new reporting says installations are already operating in Oxon Hill, Maryland, for Prince George’s County Police. It also highlights an important caveat. SignalTrace might not be as potent as its own marketing and early fears imply. That doesn’t make it benign.
SignalTrace isn’t a plate reader itself. Leonardo says its sensors capture publicly emitted Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and other electronic signals, matching devices that routinely travel together into an “electronic fingerprint.” When an ALPR camera is present, that bundle can be correlated with a plate number, time, and location. In theory, that lets investigators recognize a car even when its plate is unknown.
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