Poll: Limits on license plate reader use, retention needed for privacy
By Jon Styf
The Center Square
Most registered voters say that license plate reader cameras should be used only in serious crimes or emergency situations, or with limits to protect privacy, according to a new poll.
The Center Square Voters’ Voice Poll found that 39% of registered voters believe that the cameras should only be used for serious crimes or emergencies while 29% say that the cameras are worth using because they help law enforcement investigate and solve crimes
Another 25% said that the cameras create too much risk to personal privacy and government surveillance while 8% are not sure.
The results come from a survey conducted by Noble Predictive Insights from Oct. 5-7 that polled registered voters nationally via opt-in online panel and text-to-web cell phone messages. The sample included 2,527 respondents comprised of 1,011 Republicans, 1,011 Democrats, and 505 Independents. Among independent voters, 220 respondents were classified as true independents, which are individuals who do not lean toward either major party when given the choice. The margin of error is +/- 1.95%.
License plate reader cameras have come under fire across the country this year as cases of abuse of the system and privacy concerns have risen.
Cases of law enforcement abuse of the system as well as misidentified criminals have appeared aside concerns over how long companies such as Flock retain the license plate reader data and how that data is used.
Municipalities across the country have begun to cut ties with the companies, citing privacy concerns over more data being retained than those municipalities were aware of.
Several law enforcement agencies in Wisconsin have discontinued use of Flock cameras and removed them after learning that the company retains data from the cameras for five years and sells the data to third parties as a “Traffic Analytics” product.
Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling recently said that the department had an understanding that there was a 30-day retention period for data from the cameras for public safety and crime solving purposes only.
“This is not what we agreed to, and it is not what the public was led to believe,” Schmaling said in a statement. “The Sheriff’s Office will not participate in a system that appears to use public safety as a justification for mass surveillance and the collection and monetization of information about innocent people.”