IRS & Other Fed Agencies Tracking License Plates

It seems the IRS has been using License Plate tracking technology, whereby cameras are used to read a citizen's license plate and using and storing the associated data gathered data for the IRS, and other federal agencies its intended purposes.

This raises many questions for Americans, not the least of which is Privacy issues that are (suppose to be) protected by the U.S. Constitution.

Here is the relevant Privacy language in the U.S. Constitution:

"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

Apparently,the IRS is not the only federal agency using this tracking technology.

More and more cameras are being deployed across the U.S.A. for use in local, state and national purposes.

Let's hear from the ATS Community. What are the implications, and what does this mean both short and long term for We the People?

Story and Link found here: www.foxnews.com...

This has been happening here in the UK for ages now. We have what's called ANPR cameras (automatic number plate reconition). Using infra red cameras it picks up the letters on your plate. It helps police with uninsured drivers, no road tax registered to the vehicle, registered owners etc. also it can be used to alert police when a vehicle passes these cameras the camera will send an alert to a police station if the car is wanted or may have been involved in a crime.

Ive seen this tech...like actually seen it used...a few years ago they had a system that could read like ten plates at once from a snapshot...and just a few days ago someone called me and was asking what all the new cameras being put up were about in my current town. I havent seen them yet but apparently they are adding cameras here.

Thing is ..there are cops now who can have the tech as well...so they just sit and park somewhere and it scans every plate...if the plate comes back with the registered owner being suspended then that is reasonable suspicion for a stop. Officer stops you...sees maybe that you are not the registered owner and then lets you go. Either way it will give the police on the street a way to stop citizens if anything suspicious comes back on the plate the run.

So as a warning ...make sure if you borrow someones car you know their history because you may be pulled out at gun point because of something they did and they think you are that person.

I think this will create some accidental deaths...sure youll nab some suspended drivers but it will increase tense situations on accident and a few will die because of it.

a reply to: rickynews

We live in a police-state.

Why is this a surprise to anyone?

Sorry ..

but this is nothing new.. .I rode with a cabby once 20 years ago and he said he worked for the DOT and back then they tried a program where certain letters on the plate would quickly determine if the driver was originally from Oregon or out of state..(something to that effect)

he said it got to be too complicated and expensive and scraped it.. but that's nothing.. just look at what RFID can do .. and how it can be installed easily and you don't even have to be near them any more..

5 or 6 inch letters on 2 metal plates in the front and back of your vehicle, would indicate that they want to know who the car is owned by from a distance....don't own a vehicle if you are that paranoid, this isn't rocket science

originally posted by: jimmyx
5 or 6 inch letters on 2 metal plates in the front and back of your vehicle, would indicate that they want to know who the car is owned by from a distance....don't own a vehicle if you are that paranoid, this isn't rocket science

Technology may be one thing, yet the use of said technology is quite another.

All of the laws are now being reinvented and twisted to harm citizens, and protect officials from citizens. Now they are really working hard at finding inventive ways to get those guns.
The people under the current administration, and agencies of people already in place from before that now find that the gravy train keeps on going for them if they help out with all of these efforts against citizens.

The only way I see to get some things changed back is to find these perpetrators and beat them with a big oak cane for 30 minutes or so each... But that would take a lot of people to get it done fast enough to help, and then they would try to buy up all the oak canes when they heard about this.
'
If this happens, just switch to hickory canes

I think it would be cool if people got together and implemented thier own "little brother" system.

You would need a central website to coordinate things. Users and businesses could have video feeds from their security systems (the ones that view public areas) uploaded to the system. Other users could feed info into the site.

Things like, "NY license plate XYZ-123 belongs to police officer Sgt. John Smith. Sgt. Smith was spotted at the protest where several people were hospitalized. His car is often seen parked overnight at 123 Maple St."

With enough participation, you could track law enforcement personnel, IRS employees, Washington lobbyists, even employees of the TSA, ATF, CIA, or NSA.

Wouldn't that be fun! I don't go on social media sites like Facebook, but I wouldn't mind installing a couple of extra cameras to monitor the street I live on and feed it to a site like that.

I see it as gathering peoples movements.. Compile your day to day movement with your internet activity and shopping interests, phone calls, text and emails.

They can get a pretty accurate personality profile and threat assessment..

They'll be able to take the necessary precautions with those who may pose a "problem" when TPTB make their move..

Hows that for paranoid?

I suppose even stuff like burn phones would be trackable when they match your entering the area with at the same time connecting to the local cell towers, even stick a camera near gun dealers and see who's buying and the regularity of it

originally posted by: beezzer
a reply to: rickynews

We live in a police-state.

Why is this a surprise to anyone?

Agreed. It is pretty much complete, isn't it? Going forward it will only become more apparent to the dimwitted.

Your local DOT has been sharing registration information with the IRS for decades. The idea is that if you have an "expensive" car they check your tax filings and if your income cannot support such an expensive vehicle, you are suspected of hiding income from the Feds.

So if you claim you made $15K and drive a late model Mercedes you may garner a visit.

The really alarming thing is not the use of technology here, it is the fact that nobody noticed until the technology was used. They've been bouncing DOT computer tapes against IRS records since longer than most of you have been alive. And you just noticed NOW? What does that say about citizen vigilance?

originally posted by: schuyler
Your local DOT has been sharing registration information with the IRS for decades. The idea is that if you have an "expensive" car they check your tax filings and if your income cannot support such an expensive vehicle, you are suspected of hiding income from the Feds.

So if you claim you made $15K and drive a late model Mercedes you may garner a visit.

The really alarming thing is not the use of technology here, it is the fact that nobody noticed until the technology was used. They've been bouncing DOT computer tapes against IRS records since longer than most of you have been alive. And you just noticed NOW? What does that say about citizen vigilance?

.

I respect the IRS having to do its unpopular job, but I'm not convinced this is an effective way to use resources.

originally posted by: rickynews

I respect the IRS having to do its unpopular job, but I'm not convinced this is an effective way to use resources.

The issue really isn't so much whether you agree. Most of us would not. The issue is that they have been doing it for some time, yet nobody (or few) have noticed. It's relatively simple to bounce data from one tape against another for 50 states a year and have it spit out "anomalies" according to pre-set programmed criteria. As an "effective use of resources" it is relatively not all that onerous. The real issue is whether they have the legal right to do it at all.

a reply to: rickynews

I agree with the others here that this has been going on a good while now...10+ years. Its nothing new. I think it started before those cameras that send you a ticket when you run a red light or other offense, and one day bam...a ticket just shows up in the mail...and its a picture of you from the back and your license plate...

a reply to: rickynews

You have no expectation of privacy in public.

RT America ‏@RT_America · 1m
IRS awarded contract to surveillance company that tracks license plates on.rt.com... pic.twitter.com/APRtGJVT7O

With that said - I don't see a legitimate need for the IRS to track this information. License plates are state jurisdiction. Law Enforcement, regardless of state, can run a license plate from another state and get back the pertinent information. Not sure why the IRS feels the need being their own Law Enforcement Agencies have access to the same information.

If I had to guess, and I think this might be a bit scarier than what is thought, is the possibility of the Federal government creating an infrastructure that can negate the states. In MO (my state) the Federal government wanted the list of those who had CCW permits (conceal carry). The information was sent, but it was encrypted and the feds could not read it.

You have states who are refusing to comply with federal government mandates / laws / etc. Everything the feds appear to be doing, when viewed from the top down, is putting into place an infrastructure than can operate without state cooperation.

For now I will error on the side of caution and take the view the actions have nothing to do with undermining state sovereignty.

This tech has its good and appropriate uses as well as its abuses, as does most tech. The LCR is a plus if your car is stolen and a minus if you're a car thief.

Not sure exactly how the IRS is using this, but if the IRS wants to find me, they have my address.