this post was submitted on 21 May 2026
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Privacy
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Sadly this headline is not entirely accurate. What the amendment does is it bans recipients of federal highway funds from using the readers for anything other than toll collection. I think anyone who keeps up with how surveillance works these day's can guess what the result will be.
Private companies will operate the cameras and sell the surveillance data back to the police. Since private companies do not need federal highway funds it won't effect them. Massive loophole.
It is already common for Flock Cameras for example to be private. Stores will buy them and install them. It's just more privitization of surveillance. There will still be license plate readers everywhere.
Agree with you about possible loopholes. My ideal would be to ammend the language of the bill to explicitly forbid USE of ALPR data. No matter even if the data came from a privately owned camera. In fact, we may be able to write to our reps to suggest that.
But assuming we don't get that far in this particular bill, I still think it's better than not passing it at all. First, a lot of communities will resepct the spirit of it. I think mine would do that. We're already on the edge of banning them city wide. Lots of opposition to the cameras here in the electorate and we're pressuring the city gov. With a national bill like this, I don't believe my local gov would try to loophole it.
Of course, some others would. There would prob be court cases over it, yada yada. But nationwide, I believe this bill would make a dent. Even in its flawed form. It would also raise awareness of Flocks with Joe Sixpack. Most ppl don't like the idea at all, once they learn of it. Just building momentum helps. Even if it's not the end of the journey.
There is no way anything good is happening from now on. The rest of our lives are almost certainly fucked.