Lawsuit Challenges San Jose's Warrantless ALPR Mass Surveillance
14 days ago
- #Legal Action
- #Mass Surveillance
- #Privacy Rights
- San Jose and its police department are being sued for conducting warrantless searches of drivers' private data using automated license plate readers (ALPRs).
- ALPRs capture license plate images indiscriminately, collecting millions of records monthly, revealing personal movements and associations without suspicion of wrongdoing.
- The lawsuit, filed by EFF and ACLU-NC, argues that these practices violate the California Constitution's protections against unreasonable searches and privacy rights.
- San Jose Police Department retains ALPR data for a year and allows searches by law enforcement statewide without a warrant, raising privacy and freedom concerns.
- The lawsuit seeks to stop warrantless searches of ALPR data, citing Supreme Court rulings that location information is protected under the Fourth Amendment.
- Community leaders express concerns over the chilling effect of mass surveillance on privacy rights, especially for marginalized groups like Muslim and immigrant communities.
- The case emphasizes the need for judicial oversight, advocating that access to ALPR data should require a warrant to protect residents' privacy rights.