Security News > 2023 > August > Applying AI to License Plate Surveillance

Typically, Automatic License Plate Recognition technology is used to search for plates linked to specific crimes.

In this case it was used to examine the driving patterns of anyone passing one of Westchester County's 480 cameras over a two-year period.

A FOIA he filed with the Westchester police revealed that the ALPR system was scanning over 16 million license plates a week, across 480 ALPR cameras.

Of those systems, 434 were stationary, attached to poles and signs, while the remaining 46 were mobile, attached to police vehicles.

The AI was not just looking at license plates either.

It had also been taking notes on vehicles' make, model and color-useful when a plate number for a suspect vehicle isn't visible or is unknown.

News URL

https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2023/08/applying-ai-to-license-plate-surveillance.html