Over the summer, debates have intensified across the U.S. over the use of automated license plate readers (ALPR), specialized cameras that gather license-plate information to help law enforcement address public-safety concerns. With stories emerging of misuse of the technology by police officers, privacy advocates raising concerns about mass surveillance, and even late-night comics entering the fray, the Security Industry Association (SIA) felt compelled to step in.

Last week, SIA released a “policy principles and guidance” statement around ALPR, both to advocate around the benefits of the technology and to recommend guardrails regarding its use. “It’s a little bit of an exaggeration, but almost every community is evaluating [ALPR firm] Flock [Safety] cameras, or at least there’s some discussion about the value of ALPR technology and potential concerns about privacy and tracking,” said SIA CEO Don Erickson. “Over the last several months, we realized that we have to get a little bit ahead of this…. There’s the risk of security technology broadly being evaluated in a negative light.”

To develop the statement, SIA’s advocacy team recently convened what Erickson calls an “informal ALPR working group” of members and industry stakeholders. SIA has had some experience with such teams in the past, most recently around facial recognition technology, so the process moved fairly swiftly: After convening about six weeks ago to discuss data and share input, Erickson said, the statement was drafted within a week.

The process was designed to hone a statement that emphasized two main points: that ALPR technology has a proven track record of assisting with public safety, and that its misuse is inappropriate. Beyond that, it also wants to counter arguments that ALPR tools represent mass surveillance.

“One thing the working group was very adamant about was pointing out that we’re not embracing mass surveillance,” Erickson said. “That’s talked about and alleged, but that’s the last thing we want. What we’re concerned about is public safety, not surveilling an entire society.”

Beyond striving to shape the broad contours of the discussion around ALPR, the statement also gives direction to SIA staff, particularly around advocacy. As more municipalities discuss contracts with ALPR firms, SIA wants to connect with statehouse representatives around legislation before the next legislative sessions begin.

SIA’s guidance won’t satisfy everyone. It advocates against any legislation requiring that law enforcement obtain a warrant before accessing ALPR data, and dismisses concerns about mass surveillance. But Erickson said SIA is eager to make the guidance a living document, and is willing to discuss its details with critics. 

“I’m sure there are people who feel that there’s no point in engaging with the privacy community on this topic, that it would end up being a hostile dialogue,” he said. “I actually disagree. If we’re fundamentally talking about trying to find common ground and reasonable policy, it’s impossible not to involve other stakeholders. We’ve got people on staff who work on outreach with other organizations, because it’s really important to identify the groups that we should be having discussions with.”