While many conspiracy theorists point to “Big Brother” as the real villain in many scenarios, few can contradict the benefits that license plate scanners and traffic photos have played in catching criminals and even saving victims. It’s an Orwellian scenario that has proven to be helpful to American society, but there are limits.
A fine line that may be getting broken is the use of private databases to track vehicles for extended periods of time. Storage limits prohibit law enforcement from establishing a permanent database of the whereabouts of the citizens, but private companies have been doing it for a while. They sell this data to bail bondsmen and vehicle repossession companies to help them find their targets. Should police have easy access to this data as well?
Police Departments turn to private databases to track license plates nationwide… http://t.co/l7x38aNrtk
— DRUDGE REPORT (@DRUDGE_REPORT) October 7, 2015
The idea that a search warrant is required just as it is with email may be the most reasonable solution.