# ACLU of Iowa says automatic license plate readers are raising privacy concerns
# WHO13 — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YbrdcTL80Y

THEY'RE NOT SPEED CAMERAS
OR RED LIGHT CAMERAS, BUT
RATHER CAMERAS THAT COLLECT
THE LICENSE PLATE AND DATA
MANY TIMES ARE SO SMALL. YOU
DON'T EVEN NOTICE THEM. THE
ACLU RELEASED A REPORT THIS
MORNING OVER A CONCERNING
TREND OF HOW AUTOMATED
LICENSE PLATE READERS COULD
BE INVADING PEOPLE'S PRIVACY
AND CIVIL RIGHTS. 72 OTHER
TEENS I GOT TORRES JOINS US
LIVE WITH MORE FROM DOWNTOWN
DES MOINES ARE DRAWN TO THIS.
GOT A LOT OF PEOPLE TALKING.
YEAH, WELL, THERE ARE
THOUSANDS OF SMALL CAMERAS
ALL ACROSS THE STATE TAKING
THOUSANDS OF PHOTOS OF CARS
PASSING BY EVERY SINGLE DAY.
AND THIS NEW REPORT FROM THE
ACLU OF IOWA IS SAYING THAT
IT'S BUILDING A GIANT
SURVEILLANCE NETWORK FROM ALL
THESE CAMERAS. NOW THE IMAGES
AND INFORMATION COLLECTED CAN
BE SHARED IN A NETWORK OF
NATIONAL DATABASES. SOME
CITIES MAY NOT HAVE CAMERAS
BUT CAN PAY TO ACCESS THE
DATABASE IN THEIR 61 PAGE
REPORT THEY SURVEYED 48
COMMUNITIES IN IOWA. THEY SAY
5 DID NOT RESPOND INCLUDING
DES MOINES, BUT A NUMBER OF
THESE ALPR CAMERAS IN A
COMMUNITY CAN VARY WIDELY
WEST DES MOINES AMONG THE
HIGHEST WITH 64 REPORTED
CAMERAS. NOW THE COMPANY
FLOCK IS THE LARGEST VENDOR
OF THESE CAMERAS IN IOWA AND
IT ACLU SAYS THE BIGGEST
PROBLEM IS THAT IOWA HAS NO
MEANINGFUL LAWS THAT LIMIT
THE COLLECTION AND USE OF
THESE CAMERAS AND A PERSON'S
ACCESS TO THE DATA BEING
COLLECTED ON THEM.
THEY WANT TO WATCH AS THEY
WANT TO BE ABLE TO DO SO IN
SECRECY. AND THIS IS
FUNDAMENTALLY AT ODDS WITH
OUR DEMOCRACY AND THE WAY
THAT MOST AMERICANS WANT TO
LIVE OUR LIVES OVER THE LAST
COUPLE OF YEARS. THEY HAVE
JUST EXPLODED FAR MORE
CAMERAS, MORE LAW ENFORCEMENT
USING THEM AND NEW SOFTWARE
AND NEW TECH TOOLS EITHER
BEING INTEGRATED INTO PR
TECHNOLOGY. THIS IS ALL TAKEN
OUR ALREADY SIGNIFICANT
PRIVACY, CIVIL RIGHTS,
LIBERTY CONCERNS AND JUST PUT
THEM ON STEROIDS, IOWA
TAXPAYERS COLLECTIVELY HAVE
BEEN SPENDING HUGE AMOUNTS OF
MONEY, LIKELY THAT ANY
REALIZATION THAT THEY'RE
DOING. SO IN MOST CASES TO BE
SUBJECT TO PR SURVEILLANCE.
ACLU OF IOWA SAYS THEY
KNOW THAT THERE'S GOOD USE
FOR SOME OF THESE CAMERAS
LIKE ABDUCTION ALERT, TRYING
TO FIND THE CAR, A STOLEN
CAR, THINGS LIKE THAT. BUT
THEY WANT TO TAKE THIS A STEP
FURTHER BECAUSE THEY ARE
CONCERNED THAT THERE'S NO
REGULATION, NO LEGISLATION ON
THAT. SO THAT IS THEIR NEXT
STEP. THEY'VE BEEN TALKING TO
LAWMAKERS AND THEY SAY THAT
THESE LAWMAKERS ARE INTRIGUED
AND INTERESTED IN AND TRYING TO