A recent report is alleging that the U.S. government spies on millions of drivers.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the U.S. Justice Department has allegedly been quietly and secretly expanding its license-plate scanning program that monitors hundreds of millions of motorists in the country. The program has helped create a real-time national vehicle tracking database with the publication calling it “a secret domestic intelligence-gathering program.”
The program was originally created in 2008 by the Drug Enforcement Agency as a way to track down and seize cars, money and other items related to drug trafficking in states including Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas.
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Now, documents obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union through a Freedom of Information Act request have revealed that the government’s goal was to expand the program nationwide, which was never publicly disclosed.
It is believed that the program uses camera systems placed at strategic locations on major U.S. highways, recording time, location and direction of vehicle travel. It is being reported that some locations even take photos of vehicle occupants and can be detailed enough to confirm identity.
[Source: The Wall Street Journal]
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