SPRINGFIELD – For the second time in recent weeks, Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias has uncovered that Illinois license plate camera data has been shared with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and has ordered that access be shut off.
In its continued effort to expand the auditing process for automated license plate reader (ALPR) systems, Giannoulias’ office discovered that the Motorola Solutions technology was being utilized by the Village of Forest Park’s Police Department to give CBP access to its license plate camera data. Motorola has since worked with Forest Park to shut off and disable the data sharing capabilities with CBP and other federal agencies at the direction of the Secretary of State’s office.
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This comes off the heels of last week’s announcement where the audit conducted by Giannoulias’ office uncovered that Flock Safety, operator of the largest automated license plate reader system in the nation, had allowed CBP to access Illinois license plate cameras. Following the discovery, Giannoulias ordered the company to shut off access to CBP immediately. In addition, Flock has since paused a nationwide pilot project and data sharing with CBP and other federal agencies.
“License plate reading cameras serve as powerful surveillance technology, and as Secretary of State, I’m committed to ensuring that everyone involved in data sharing is following the law and protecting Illinoisans’ right to privacy,” Giannoulias said. “These audits are one of the most important tools we have to ensure accountability and compliance with Illinois law, and our office will continue to conduct them in an effort to protect people’s private data.”
Secretary Giannoulias’ audit stems from an amendment to the Illinois Vehicle Code that he spearheaded two years ago, prohibiting the sharing of license plate reader data with agencies who seek to detain or investigate a person based on their immigration status or for obtaining lawful healthcare services, including abortion. The Illinois Vehicle Code vests the Secretary of State’s Office with the authority to administer that law and to conduct its ongoing audit of the companies’ ALPR data. The Secretary of State’s ongoing actions on this issue have resulted in ALPR companies placing additional safeguards to protect Illinoisans’ civil liberties.
