A Bigger Big Brother

Virginia Reporter Shocked At Extensive Capture of Her Activity Via APLR Records…

We’ve written about this new technological data gathering Automated License Plate Readers (APLR’s) more than once. In Maryland the use of APLR’s was linked to a Florida man who was pulled over and asked about his firearm, presumably through CCW records data-mined by third parties and sold to the Maryland data and intelligence hub.

Maryland authorities refused to provide records from our Public Records requests, citing the ambiguous “Ongoing Investigation” reasoning. Now here’s some information from a reporter in Virginia who requests her own records and finds out how much she is tracked.

VIRGINIA – The police know exactly where my car has been — and when — during the past few months.
They could have the same information — or more — about you.
As a part of my series on the use of automatic license plate readers in Virginia, I wanted to find out what kind of information local police might have. By law, the only information I’m privileged to is my own.
Last week I filed a public records request with the Alexandria Police Department. I’ve lived in the lovely city of Alexandria for just two years, and my driving record — aside from the occasional parking ticket — is virtually spotless.

What I found, however, left me riveted. (read more)