A Bipartisan Amendment Would End Police License Plate Tracking Nationwide
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators has introduced an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would effectively end the use of automated license plate readers (ALPRs) by police for tracking vehicles across the country. The amendment, sponsored by Senators Steve Daines (R-MT) and Ron Wyden (D-OR), would prohibit law enforcement from using ALPRs to track a vehicle's movements in real time without a warrant. It would also limit data retention to 14 days for non-warrant purposes, after which the data must be deleted. Currently, police can collect and store millions of license plate scans indefinitely, often sharing data across jurisdictions. The amendment aims to curb what critics call a 'mass surveillance system' that tracks innocent drivers. The NDAA is expected to be debated in the Senate in the coming weeks. If passed, the amendment would apply to federal law enforcement and any state or local agency receiving federal funds.
Developers building location-based or surveillance-adjacent apps must consider new warrant and data retention rules.