While we may not have actual proof that we have been photographed by an Automatic License Plate Reader, I would agree with Catherine Clump when she says in her TED talk on YouTube, “And if you drive a car in the United States, I would bet money that they have photographs like this of you going about your daily life.”  Even though I live in a rural area and don’t go out much, I am sure there are at least a few pictures with my vehicle in them.  The fact that the local government feels the need to track my location is a bit too much of an intrusion into my life.  As Crump states, “This information used to be private. “  As Americans, we have the right to roam freely and know that not only are we free to do so; we are able to do so in a private manner.

Crump goes on to say, “At the same time, the federal government is collecting all of these individual pots of data, and pooling them together into one vast database with hundreds of millions of hits, showing where Americans have traveled.”  I am alarmed and concerned to learn that the government spends resources on such a violation of our inalienable rights. Citizens need to take actions against this policy of intrusion for the sake of security.  We as citizens can do more to improve security than a database full of photographs but first we must protect our rights.  Crump tells us, there are steps we can take.  As Crump puts it, city councils can pass laws requiring the police to dispose of the data about innocent people.  Let’s work from the bottom up, by voting in councilmen who will protect our freedoms and our privacy.

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