Is Border Patrol using license plate cameras to monitor drivers in Bay Area? Here's what we know

FOR POSSESSION OF A STOLEN VEHICLE, BUT ADDITIONAL CHARGES ARE POSSIBLE. WE'LL MOVE NOW TO A REPORT ABOUT U.S. BORDER PATROL MONITORING DRIVERS USING A NETWORK OF CAMERAS THAT SCAN AND RECORD LICENSE PLATE INFORMATION. ACCORDING TO AN ASSOCIATED PRESS INVESTIGATION, THE PROGRAM FLAGS VEHICLES DEEMED SUSPICIOUS AND HAS RESULTED IN PEOPLE BEING STOPPED, SEARCHED AND IN SOME CASES, ARRESTED. ABC SEVEN NEWS REPORTER LUZ PENA SPOKE WITH BAY AREA EXPERTS ABOUT THE IMPLICATIONS OF ALL OF THIS. LUIS. YES, DON. IN THE BAY AREA, WE HAVE HUNDREDS OF LICENSE PLATE READER CAMERAS SCANNING AND STORING THIS INFORMATION IN REAL TIME. THE CONCERN IS WHO HAS ACCESS TO THIS DATA HERE, AND ARE ANY LAWS BEING VIOLATED? A U.S. BORDER PATROL HAS EXTENDED ITS SURVEILLANCE FROM THE NATION'S BOUNDARIES DEEP INTO AMERICAN CITIES. THIS IS MASSIVE GOVERNMENT OVERREACH THAT PUTS EVERY AMERICAN UNDER WARRANTLESS MASS SURVEILLANCE. AN ASSOCIATED PRESS INVESTIGATION REVEALED DETAILS OF HOW THE U.S. BORDER PATROL SURVEILLANCE PROGRAM WORKS, FINDING THOUSANDS OF PAGES OF GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS AND ARREST REPORTS POINTING TO THE USE OF LICENSE PLATE READER CAMERAS TO IDENTIFY AND DETAIN DRIVERS WITH SUSPICIOUS TRAVEL PATTERNS. AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE READERS CAPTURE IMAGES OF EVERY CAR THAT PASSES, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THE DRIVER IS SUSPECTED OF ANY CRIME, AND THAT MEANS THE BORDER PATROL IS SEIZING THE ABILITY TO TRACK ANY DRIVER IN AMERICA. MANY BAY AREA CITIES LIKE SAN FRANCISCO, BERKELEY, AND PIEDMONT HAVE LICENSE PLATE READER CAMERAS SIMILAR TO THE ONES LISTED IN THE AP INVESTIGATION. JUST THIS WEEK, OAKLAND COUNCIL MEMBERS VOTED AGAINST EXPANDING THE EXISTING CAMERA SYSTEM THEY HAVE IN THEIR CITY, CITING THESE PRIVACY CONCERNS. I'M REALLY STRUGGLING WITH A POTENTIAL MAYBE UH- CORRELATION BETWEEN CAMERAS AND A VERY REAL POSSIBILITY OF OUR DATA FALLING INTO THE HANDS OF BAD ACTORS. ON TUESDAY, THE ELECTRONIC FRONTIER FOUNDATION FILED A LAWSUIT AGAINST THE CITY OF SAN JOSE OVER HOW THEY'RE STORING THEIR DATA FROM THEIR NEARLY 500 LICENSE PLATE READERS. WE'RE ASKING THE COURT TO ORDER THAT POLICE CANNOT SEARCH THOSE RECORDS WITHOUT FIRST OBTAINING A WARRANT FROM A JUDGE. WE HAVE A CALIFORNIA LAW THAT PROHIBITS THE SHARING OF LICENSE PLATE READER INFORMATION COLLECTED IN CALIFORNIA WITH OUT OF STATE ENTITIES. UC SAN FRANCISCO PROFESSOR NICOLE OZER IS URGING THE PUBLIC TO ASK THEIR CITY WHERE THE DATA IS COLLECTED, STORED, AND WHO HAS ACCESS TO IT. THE STAKES ARE HIGHER THAN EVER. THE AP INVESTIGATION DID NOT IDENTIFY ANY BAY AREA CITIES AS PART OF THIS PRACTICE. I ALSO CHECKED WITH THE ELECTRONIC FRONTIER FOUNDATION. THE NONPROFIT ALSO SAID THEY DON'T KNOW OF ANY BAY AREA CITIES SHARING INFORMATION COLLECTED FROM THESE CAMERAS WITH FEDERAL AUTHOR