On Jan. 8, there will be a vote in the New Hampshire House (HB 675) to allow license plate readers in the state. Currently, the only license plate readers authorized for use are at E-ZPass toll booths.

License plate readers are a serious civil liberty and privacy concern. The American Civil Liberties Union has come out against their use. Law enforcement also has raised some serious concern in a 2011 report by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP):

“Recording driving habits could implicate First Amendment concerns. Specifically, LPR systems have the ability to record vehicles’ attendance at locations or events that, although lawful and public, may be considered private. For example, mobile LPR units could read and collect the license plate numbers of vehicles parked at addiction counseling meetings, doctors’ offices, health clinics, or even staging areas for political protests.”

Data security is also a concern. Who has access to the data that is collected, and for how long? The city of Boston recently shut down their LPR system after privacy concerns were raised when the police department mistakenly released the license plate numbers of 68,000 that had tripped the alarms of automated license plate readers.

I for one, hope New Hampshire sticks to its values of individual freedom. Live free or die is not just a quote we remember by Gen. John Stark a few hundred years ago. It is the state motto and a way of life. Legislators should remember that, and vote down this bill.

Joe Fraser

Somersworth

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