ICE License-Plate Tracking Plan Withdrawn Amid Outcry About Privacy

An anonymous reader writes "Homeland security officials on Wednesday abruptly shelved a proposal to build a national database of license-plate scans after criticism from privacy advocates. The proposal, which had been posted online last week by the office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, sought a contractor who could establish a searchable database of license plates, with the times and locations where they were spotted by traffic cameras and other sources. But in a statement late Wednesday, the department announced a reversal. 'The solicitation, which was posted without the awareness of ICE leadership, has been canceled,' said spokeswoman Gillian Christensen. 'While we continue to support a range of technologies to help meet our law enforcement mission, this solicitation will be reviewed to ensure the path forward appropriately meets our operational needs.'"

Re:Driving is a privelege, not a right.

[FuzzNugget]

I am so fucking tired of this mantra.

Being able to practicably exercise your mobility rights is a privilege? Being able to practicably exercise your right to live, work and be a contributing member of society is a privilege? Until we have completely ubiquitous transportation, either by public transit or autonomous cars, driving needs to be a right.

What good are your other rights if they are subject to revokable privileges?

(p.s. on a tangential note, driving also ought to be ingrained as a more responsible endeavor than most people believe it to be, not just that annoying thing they have to do between A and B. Our driver training standards in North America are laughably pathetic... you may die of shock when you learn about the years of continual training required in countries where they take driving seriously)

Re: Withdrawn

[dmitrygr]

There is no battery "keeping it alive". Source: I work and worked in places that design and make modern cell phones.

No sir.

[fishthegeek]

The governement does not own the highway, the public owns the highway in common. The government is nothing more than a steward of the public's property and if the public decides to change that they certainly may. As a matter of fact the public doesn't need the governments consent to change how our highways are managed either; the public can vote and make it happen.