WASHINGTON, D.C. -

NetChoice — a public policy advocacy organization that promotes Internet innovation and communication — is continuing to work on keeping license plate recognition technology available as a tool to boost the efforts of the repossession and recovery industries.

NetChoice recently assembled a new presentation to explain LPR technology and debunk myths about how the tool not only can be a way to find vehicles that are to be repossessed, but also how the technology can help to solve crimes and protect Americans while respecting privacy.

Steve DelBianco, executive director of NetChoice, explained how the organization’s presentation available at netchoice.org/LPRFacts offers a direct rebuttal to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) presentation that he said “fueled false fears about LPR technology through speculation and outright misinformation.”

DelBianco insisted LPR opponents are now using the misleading ACLU presentation to push for anti-LPR laws at state and federal levels.

“When you strip away the misinformation and speculation, you’re left with a technology that works exactly as intended and poses no credible threat to privacy,” DelBianco said. “Legislated technology mandates are typically bad ideas, but they're even worse when they restrict technology that's helping public safety officials in communities across the country.”

NetChoice pointed out its presentation confirms that LPR is not equipped to identify drivers, since the cameras used for LPR are designed to focus on license plates, not windshields.

DelBianco reiterated that LPR technology does not “track” drivers, but rather simply records plates — which are by their very nature public. It also details the strong legal framework that already protects the privacy of vehicle owners, as well as the narrow and limited nature of LPR cameras and databases.

NetChoice went on to mention its presentation also reveals that contrary to ACLU claims, access to personal information about owners and drivers is already tightly restricted by the Drivers Privacy Protection Act.

Furthermore, the presentation details real world instances in which LPR data has been used to catch criminals and rescue crime victims, such as an abducted child.

The new presentation came soon after NetChoice oversaw a survey law enforcement professionals conducted by Vigilant Solutions. The survey revealed that officials believe there are strong protections in place to prevent against LPR misuse.

The survey polled 504 law enforcement professionals from around the country regarding their use of LPR technology.

More than 87 percent of respondents reported that LPR technology had been instrumental in investigating crimes and more than 60 percent reported that LPR had saved lives in their community.

“Opponents of LPR technology are basing their fears on hypothetical behaviors that don’t appear to exist in the real world,” DelBianco said. “The survey reveals a life-saving technology, subject to strict rules, that has become a mainstay of criminal investigations.

“To the extent that LPR — like any technology — carries the potential for misuse, lawmakers and advocates should focus their efforts on bad behaviors, not good technology,” he went on to say.

More than 99 percent of the law enforcement officers polled said that they knew of no instances in which colleagues misused LPR data. More than 90 percent reported that abusing LPR technology for personal purposes would cost them their jobs.

DelBianco said the findings point to a technology marketplace that is working precisely as it should.

“Technology mandates are almost never a good idea,” DelBianco reiterated. “Again and again we've seen that the technology marketplace evolves to meet challenges faster and more elegantly than the legislative process ever could.”

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