FBI Seeks Nationwide License Plate Access

The FBI is seeking to purchase access to a vast, commercial database of license plate reader data, expanding its surveillance capabilities nationwide.

The FBI has announced its intention to purchase access to a national license plate reader (LPR) database from a commercial vendor. A public procurement document details the agency's request for a subscription service providing real-time alerts and historical location data for vehicles across the United States. This system would allow agents to track vehicles by searching for specific license plates. The database is compiled from a network of cameras, often on private property or vehicles, which continuously record license plates, timestamps, and GPS coordinates. The FBI's request specifies the need for comprehensive nationwide coverage.

This move significantly expands federal surveillance capabilities and raises major privacy concerns. By using a commercial data broker, the FBI can potentially bypass legal hurdles like warrants that are typically required for such extensive location tracking. Civil liberties advocates argue this creates a massive, searchable database of innocent people's movements without judicial oversight. For businesses and individuals, this means daily travel patterns could become part of a permanent, government-accessible record, potentially impacting privacy and freedom of association. The lack of regulation around these commercial LPR databases is a key point of contention.