Attention

The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not represent our advertisers

Saturday, October 31, 2015

LICENSE PLATE READERS EXPOSED! HOW PUBLIC SAFETY AGENCIES RESPONDED TO MAJOR VULNERABILITIES IN VEHICLE SURVEILLANCE TECH

Law enforcement should not collect information they can’t protect

Law enforcement agencies around the country have been all too eager to adopt mass surveillance technologies, but sometimes they have put little effort into ensuring the systems are secure and the sensitive data they collect on everyday people is protected.

Case in point: automated license plate recognition (ALPR) systems.

Earlier this year, EFF learned that more than a hundred ALPR cameras were exposed online, often with totally open Web pages accessible by anyone with a browser. In five cases, we were able to track the cameras to their sources: St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the Kenner Police in Louisiana; Hialeah Police Department in Florida; and the University of Southern California’s public safety department. These cases are very similar, but unrelated to, major vulnerabilities in Boston’s ALPR network uncovered in September by DigBoston and the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism.

After five months of engagement with these entities, we are releasing the results of our research and the actions these offices undertook in response to our warnings.

More

1 comment:

lmclain said...

The Nazi's used to be able to cover their tracks better.
Now, they just don't give a **** about your rights, your privacy, or their responsibility. Or what you think about any of that.
Sit down and shut up. We'll tell when we want you to speak.
keep cheering.