license plates

The American Civil Liberties Union today sued the U.S. government to get access to information about how authorities are using automated license plate readers to track people's movements and location.

The ACLU filed Freedom of Information Act requests on July 30 with the departments of Justice, Homeland Security, and Transportation to try to find out how much officials use the technology and how much it is paying to expand the program. Agencies are required by law to respond to FOIA requests within 20 working days, but more than a month later, only one DOJ office and a few … Read more

LAS VEGAS - The American Civil Liberties Union wants to know how police around the country are using automatic license plate readers to track people's movements.

The ACLU today sent requests for information to police departments in 38 states and filed federal Freedom of Information Act requests with the departments of Justice, Homeland Security and Transportation to try to find out how much the governments use the technology and how much it is paying to expand the program.

Mounted on patrol cars, telephone poles and under bridges, the automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) can snap a photograph of every … Read more

For all the apps, gadgets, and gizmos on the market, a simple solution to finding a your car in a large parking lot is still a tall order. A Los Angeles mall seems to have figured out a way to reduce the number of wandering car owners with keys in hand searching for their vehicles, but it borrows technology normally reserved for government agencies.

License plate scanners are widely used by police departments to help locate stolen vehicles, or by transportation agencies to snag drivers who breeze through tolls without paying. But a few shopping malls are now using them … Read more

As a tax-paying, sun-worshiping, tourist-tolerating resident of California, may I say how delighted I am to hear that my state is leading the way toward digital license plates?

As a commercially caring, capitalism-believing, creatively challenging resident of California, may I say how delighted I am that these digital plates will have ads?

There is nothing more dull than sitting behind another car on the Golden Gate Bridge and having to stare at a number plate that reads "5XYJ204."

How could anyone have imagined that a random set of numbers and letters could make anyone happy? Well, anyone other … Read more

California officially has the worst traffic in the country, and it's about to become the most annoying: the legislature is examining ways to create electronic license plates that support ads.

And you thought your commute couldn't get any worse.

A bill is in the state assembly which, if passed, will commission a study on emerging electronic license plate technology and examine ways that it could introduce new ad revenue streams for the budget-challenged state.

The technology is being developed by Smart Plate, a three-person start-up in San Francisco, and would only be used on the vehicle's rear … Read more

It might not have sails, or an anchor, or a mizzenmast (isn't that a great word?) but this Jeep is probably the most legitimate pirate vessel you'll see all day, unless you happen to be logging onto Crave from the beaches of Tortuga. This vehicle was spotted by blogger Andy Carvin on the roads of Washington, D.C. a few weeks ago. I like to think it's driven by a swashbucklers' rights lobbyist. (Special interests, my foot!)

Almost equally awesome is the license plate holder, which says "TOO CLOSE FOR CANNONS" on the top and &… Read more

Now you have an alternative to your programmable VW bumper sticker if you want to communicate digitally with other road users. Roadmaster has unveiled two scrolling LED message systems that enable drivers to program up to 99 preset messages and five user-edited messages to share with other drivers. The system comes in two models: the Roadmaster Scrolling Digital License Plate Frame, and the Scrolling Rear Deck Message System, which sits on the car's parcel shelf; both are priced at $69.

Preset words and phrases can be called up using numbers on the systems' TV-like remote controls. According to Roadmaster, … Read more

Most people don't go out driving to make friends, but that's the philosophy behind a new (and extremely optimistic) social networking SMS service called PL8Scan, which enables cell phone-wielding drivers to contact other drivers by text message via the latter's license plate numbers.

Having signed up to PL8Scan, drivers who wish to initiate contact with other road users send a text message to a central repository using a five-digit number. In the message, the driver includes the license plate number of the intended recipient (including details of the state in which it is registered), as well as … Read more