Driver Privacy Act

Public agencies throughout Washington are increasingly using automated license plate readers (ALPRs). These are cameras that scan and store license plate data from countless Washington drivers every day, allowing government agencies to track where people drive and when. While ALPRs can help agencies with some tasks, ALPR use in Washington is currently unregulated, allowing agencies to conduct widespread surveillance, hold onto everyone’s data and share it without restrictions. This threatens our civil and privacy rights and raises risks particularly for vulnerable communities. Out-of-state and federal agencies can access—and already have accessed—ALPR data collected in Washington state, which can be used to target immigrants, people seeking reproductive or gender-affirming care, protesters, and anyone else the government decides is a threat. The Driver Privacy Act creates needed regulations for this technology that set limits on which agencies can use ALPRs, how long they can retain the data and who can access that data. Washington needs common-sense regulations and data protections for ALPRs to prevent federal overreach, safeguard our privacy rights, and protect state sovereignty from out-of-state agencies seeking to do harm to people living in or visiting our state. (via ACLU-WA)