Police using drones to read your license plates, warns EFF

Police are using drones as flying automated license plate readers (ALPRs), according to a report by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). The piece notes that ALPR-equipped drones can systematically record vehicle location and movement, including in private spaces such as backyards and driveways, unlike fixed cameras.

It highlights that drone-based ALPRs, as part of Drone as First Responder programs, can raise privacy risks, with data often stored on central servers and shared with other agencies, potentially increasing breaches or leaks. The EFF’s Atlas of Surveillance is cited as identifying approximately 1,500 police departments known to operate a drone programme, while a Wired investigation is referenced finding that roughly one in 10 drone flights had no stated purpose.

The article adds that, depending on state law, some places require a warrant to use a drone to violate airspace privacy; Alaska, California, Hawaii, and Vermont are named as states where courts have held warrantless aerial surveillance to violate constitutional protections absent specific exceptions.

It also notes that Flock Safety has discussed linking ALPR scans to additional information about vehicle owners, signalling concerns about how soon police may learn more about you than a car’s movements. according to Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)