Mapping License Plate Scanners in the US

A commentary argues that expanding ALPR/CCTV networks (e.g., Flock) are marketed as crime-fighting tools but largely serve revenue extraction, are easy for adaptive actors to evade, and historically trend toward instruments of control and oppression; it predicts authorities will double down with AI/ML—echoing past “security theater”—while advising individuals to maintain situational awareness to avoid becoming “low hanging fruit.”