ACLU: Police use AI license plate readers to flag drivers without warrants

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) reports that police are using AI-powered license plate readers to flag drivers for travel patterns deemed suspicious without warrants.

According to the ACLU, automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) and Flock cameras have been used to log vehicle data into searchable databases since at least 2025.

In one case, a self-identified FBI agent stopped a woman in Florida after her out-of-state travel patterns appeared unusual in an ALPR database.

Police in Wisconsin and Michigan stopped a man for driving between the two states, suspecting marijuana trafficking because the substance is legal in Michigan.

An Oklahoma judge ruled a traffic stop based on mass surveillance was unconstitutional, even though that stop led to the seizure of 91 pounds of meth.

The ACLU reports that dozens of officers have been caught using the cameras to stalk ex-partners.

A Florida representative introduced a bill requiring warrants for ALPR database searches, while other politicians have proposed banning the technology.

The ACLU notes these cases are anecdotal reports and not a comprehensive measure of how often such stops occur.

Drivers in the U.S. may be subject to traffic stops based on travel patterns flagged by AI-powered license plate readers.