Last week, State Auditor Elaine Howle opened an investigation into how law enforcement agencies collect and share information via automated license plate reader technology. State lawmakers approved the audit.
At a recent Joint Legislative Audit Committee hearing, Audit initiator and Democrat State Sen. Scott Weiner says his intent was to protect residents’ privacy and ensure that their information is being used properly at a Wednesday.
“When misused, this data and powerful analytics software accompanying it can be used as masked surveillance,” Weiner said.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) also asked the California Department of Justice this week to specifically look into how the California Law Enforcement Telecommunication System shares data with federal immigration officials. This was proposed after a San Diego newspaper unveiled instances where it “appeared” they used it to access DMV information to help track down illegal immigrants with no criminal history.
“Whether you believe license plate readers are a useful public safety tool or not, one must recognize the need to ensure that law enforcement is acting as responsible stewards of our confidential locational data,” said EFF senior investigative researcher David Maass to California lawmakers.
Republican Assemblyman Randy Voepel, who represents Santee, opposed the audit.
Photo by Luther Bottrill
