Don’t Like Car License Plate Readers Invading Your Privacy? It’s About To Get A Lot Worse

A company called Leonardo already develops and sells automatic license plate readers (ALPRs). These are cameras that visually see your vehicle as it drives by, recording your plate for any number of reasons, though probably because you ran a red light or missed a stop sign. Now, it seems the company has plans to go a little further.

It’s not an optical upgrade, though. There are plans to add sensors to its cameras in the form of an “advanced signal intelligence system.” As reported by 404 Media, ELSAG SignalTrace is a system that sweeps up unique identifiers of electronic devices that give off signals. The idea is to track or identify specific devices in passengers in cars. You probably see where this is going.

A Frightening Amount Of Surveillance Data

Effectively, the SignalTrace technology is set to move ALPR cameras from just car-tracking to people-tracking devices. Leonardo says that the system “integrates seamlessly with the ELSAG Enterprise Operations Center, our standard data management and analysis software.” According to the product sheet, SignalTrace “bridges license plate recognition data with sensor-captured device identifiers – such as those from mobile phones, Bluetooth wearables, and vehicle systems – to create a unique, trackable ‘electronic fingerprintʼ for investigative use.”

Included in the kinds of signals SignalTrace can pull in to fingerprint are things like RFID tags in key cards and pet microchips. That also includes devices with Bluetooth such as wireless headphones, fitness trackers, cell phones, laptops, or tablets. Even components of a car that give off signals, like tire pressure sensors, infotainment systems, and vehicle hotspots could be monitored, logged, and tied to a specific vehicle with a specific registration.

The Digital Fingerprint

Credit: Leonardo

“When multiple devices consistently move together with a vehicle, SignalTraceʼs algorithms link them to that vehicleʼs license plate and time-stamped location data. This correlation provides investigators with another layer of actionable intelligence, even if a suspect changes or removes a plate,” the sheet reads. But, it’s not just targeting individuals suspected of committing a crime – it’s every car that passes. The ALPR and SignalTrace technology “stores device and correlation data securely in the EOC Enterprise Operations Center for future queries and analysis.”

Via 404 Media and according to procurement records maintained by the transparency website Widely Reported, Leonardo sells ALPR cameras and communications equipment to law enforcement, border security, and other government agencies. Leonardo’s US arm has contracts with US Special Operations Command and the General Services Administration. As far as we can tell, Leonardo US Cyber and Security Solutions is one of the branches of the massive aerospace, defense, and security company Leonardo S.p.A, headquartered in Rome, Italy.

Read the full article on CarBuzz

This article originally appeared on CarBuzz and is republished here with permission.