Summary: A federal judge has allowed a lawsuit against Norfolk, Virginia’s use of automatic license plate readers to proceed, citing potential violations of Fourth Amendment rights. The technology is used to monitor vehicles extensively, with data being collected and stored for law enforcement purposes. This ruling could impact similar surveillance practices in communities using the same technology nationwide.

Affected: Norfolk, Virginia

Keypoints :

• Federal judge ruled that lawsuit on license plate readers can advance, challenging their legality.
• The city deploys 172 cameras and plans to install an additional 65, potentially leading to extensive surveillance.
• The lawsuit argues such surveillance constitutes “warrantless surveillance” and violates privacy expectations.
• Judge’s ruling references a Supreme Court case requiring warrants for tracking individual movements, emphasizing privacy rights.
• This case may have significant implications for over 5,000 communities using Flock cameras nationwide.