[telecom] Millions of US license plates tracked and stored, new ACLU report finds

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Millions of US license plates tracked and stored, new ACLU report finds

Alarming number of databases across US are storing details of Americans' locations - not just government agencies

Ed Pilkington in New York guardian.co.uk

Millions of Americans are having their movements tracked through automated scanning of their car license plates, with the records held often indefinitely in vast government and private databases.

A new report from the American Civil Liberties Union has found an alarming proliferation of databases across the US storing details of Americans' locations. The technology is not confined to government agencies - private companies are also getting in on the act, with one firm - National Vehicle Location Service - holding more than 800m records of scanned license plates.

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You Are Being Tracked: How License Plate Readers Are Being Used to Record Americans' Movements