Recently, PCI published information about new number plate recognition technology (called autoChalk) currently being trialed in Australia for parking enforcement, in an article called Drive-By Chalkings.
The Age on September 5 reported on the use of such technology for crime detection and prevention, where cars are scanned daily, using software capable of reading characters on number plates and comparing the number plate details with a database of vehicle number plates on file.
The technology is currently being used in the UK, where an estimated 50 million cars are scanned each day, both for security and police tracking work, as well as speed cameras and in traffic management, including being used to collect toll tax and congestion charges.
The police, who are currently testing the technology in Victoria, believe that the technology will reduce traffic accidents due to unregistered vehicles being operational on the roads. Meanwhile, civil liberty and privacy groups are concerned, warning of the potential for misuse, claiming the ‘scope-creep’ beyond simply using the technology to monitor road safety was of genuine concern for public privacy.
Read the full article on The Age, Privacy fears over number plate scanning