Automated License Plate Reader Cameras

 This blog is ακωλυτως, unhindered. (Acts 28:31) Any subject is fair game. While it is not explicitly a Christian subject, the confidentiality of your personal information is a very important thing you do need to consider.

Governments and the legal systems of countries are usually about ten years behind the rapid developments of science and technology. This causes intense controversy over numerous subjects such as information data centers, artificial intelligence systems, the usage of aborted fetal remains in the treatment of diseases, establishing the age of viability of developing unborn children, and automated license plate reader cameras. 

Flock safety automated license plate reader cameras have sparked a nationwide, bipartisan debate over public safety versus mass surveillance and civil liberties.

Law enforcement agencies insist that the cameras are important in tracking criminal suspects and stolen vehicles, and in locating possibly kidnapped persons.

One argument is this: Automobile license plates and vehicle exteriors are exposed to the public and, so, are in the public domain. Because of this, drivers in public view cannot claim privacy rights about their automobiles or location.

Critics of this view claim that a surveillance state is being created and they present evidence of abuses such as police officers who are accused of inappropriately using the database to track personal movements of persons not involved in criminal investigations. A public backlash against use of the cameras has erupted, including the criminal act of vandalism against the cameras.

Lack of Privacy:

Does everyone carry around a cell phone in their pocket? Every cellphone in the world is locatable using a global positioning system. Why is everyone not concerned about that?

A suggestion:

I worked for almost 50 years in hospital clinical laboratories and we were constantly reminded about patient confidentiality. We had access to extremely personal information about criminal suspects, politicians, celebrities, regular people from our communities, and even our own family members. All of these people deserved to have their personal information securely protected. Those of us who failed in this responsibility were subject to instant dismissal from their jobs.

In 1996, the United States federal government stepped in with the passage of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). After a short time-period which allowed the affected institutions the time necessary for them to put the standards into effect, full enforcement of the law began in April of 2003.

Enforcement against violations of the HIPAA law is totally inflexible. The penalties include total exclusion from any government contracts of any sort, massive monetary fines enacted for each violation, and very long prison terms for each violation. A Basic Metabolic Panel laboratory test usually is comprised of eight components. Release of these results could be seen as eight separate violations.

Access to the collected information should be legally restricted to police and governmental entities only.

If HIPAA level punishments were attached to the misuse of surveillance cameras, the problem might be quickly resolved. And they could still be used for legitimate purposes.