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Privacy Commissioner limits use of Licence Plate Recognition Technology
VANCOUVER/CKNW AM980
Sean Leslie | Email news tips to Sean
11/15/2012

BC's Information and Privacy Commissioner has issued a ruling that could have implications for police forces around the province.

Elizabeth Denham has ruled the Victoria Police Department must make changes to its automated Licence Plate Recognition Program that uses cameras mounted on squad cars.

Denham says the department must STOP sharing data with the RCMP on licence plate numbers including time and location of drivers who have done nothing wrong.

She says this is personal information about the suspicionless activities of citizens that is not serving a law enforcement purpose.

And she rules the future use of so-called "non-hit data" by municipal police would not be authorized under B-C law.

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  1. ChrisM_18 posted on 11/15/2012 04:48 PM
    Isn't this really a moot point - as CCTV's can do the same thing - albeit not guite as efficiently ?
  2. HJDH posted on 11/16/2012 08:57 AM
    there appears little interest in this story. What people don't realize it's slowly our privacy is being invaded by authorities, and private organizations.

    The technology involved here enables police to track licence plates using global geo-positioning to track locations of vehicle. This information can be stored in a central data base, which enables authorities to track your movements. In the US this technology is used by private companies to gather marketing information. When you couple that with cellphone tracking, and CCTV information using face recognition technology (now used at airports and security cameras in major stores), it will be possible in the future to pinpoint peoples location at any given point in time.

    Definitely an invasion of privacy. Thank you Elizabeth Denham!
    1. JD_9814 posted on 11/16/2012 01:18 PM
      @HJDH No one cares until they are affected. Until then, the authorities can do no wrong. Why worry if there's nothing to hide? No thought of what a democracy is, and what it means to have freedoms. No thought of how this information can be integrated into other data banks or future technologies.

      Efficiency is far better than privacy. Too bad pre world war II Germany didn't pay more attention.
    2. UnemployedinBC posted on 11/17/2012 01:57 PM
      @HJDH I dont know anything about GPS and license plates. But it is a camera in the PC that reads the plates. This is why the new "Safer" motorcycle license plates have slightly larger font on them. One use ive witnessed is at a road block the camera car sits a block away feeding info to the member in the car at the check-stop feeding info to the member interrogating, I mean interviewing you the driver. so they already know your priors, ICBC debt, parking tickets, work or pleasure insurance, if you have been negative to the police, the list goes on. It is my view that my fathers efforts in WWII to counter this kind of behavior from a Govt have gone for not.
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