To find out more about where automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) are in your area, or you’ve seen such cameras and want to report their locations, go to deflock.org, an open-source, volunteer project that aims to map all license plate reading cameras throughout the country.
To use the map, go to the deflock.org website, click the button that says “Launch the Map” and you’ll get a map of the entire continental U.S. Use two fingers to zoom in on Grand Junction, Colorado, and you’ll see a map like the one below, with each known ALPR camera marked by a blue dot:
You can zoom in further or enter your zip code or even a specific address to see where the ALPR cameras are near that spot. If you zoom in further, you’ll see not only the exact locations of the cameras, but the directions their fields of surveillance cover:
If you want to add a camera to the database of camera locations, you need to know what the cameras look like:
ALPR cameras are now being hidden inside radar speed signs (video):
To add a camera to the database, download the deflock.org app here. Versions of the app are available for both iOS or Android phones.
Other apps exist as well, like FlockHopper, which helps you plan a trip in which you can avoid ALPR cameras. (Good only in iOS right now, Android version is promised soon.) Another tool is the Atlas of Surveillance, a collaboration between the digital privacy group Electronic Frontier Foundation and the University of Nevada, Reno. The Atlas of Surveillance is a database of surveillance technologies deployed by law enforcement in communities across the United States, including drones, body-worn cameras, automated license plate readers, facial recognition, and more.
How to maintain anonymity on the roads:
While it is illegal to tamper with license plates to avoid detection by ALPRs, like by doing things like using sprays, plastic covers or coatings on your plate, there are legal ways you can help maintain your anonymity while driving:
- The ACLU advises that Flock Safety cameras create a “vehicle fingerprint” by logging not just your plate number, but also dents, scratches, and distinctive bumper stickers, so keeping your vehicle clean, unmodified, and free of stickers makes it look like thousands of others, diluting its uniqueness in a searchable database. Use car magnets instead of bumper stickers to easily change their location or remove them quickly and easily.
- Driving a very popular car model of a neutral color, like a silver Toyota Camry or a white Honda Civic, can vastly increase the number of search results investigators have to sift through, reducing the effectiveness of automated search queries.
- Wearing common, legal accessories like a wide-brimmed hat, dark sunglasses, or a medical face mask can disrupt facial recognition algorithms without violating public masking or anti-disguise laws.
- Remove your car from the road entirely by taking public transportation.
- Vary your routes frequently and take secondary roads or neighborhood routes to avoid busier roads and intersections where cameras are more likely to be in use. Avoid predictable driving routines to keep AI pattern-mapping from being able to establish your daily driving routes and habits, like driving from home to work.