ACLU of Connecticut and and Allies Demand Statewide Pause on Automatic License Plate Readers Amid Concerns of Data Sharing with Other States and ICE
ACLU of Connecticut files more than 90 public records requests on police use of automatic license plate reader technology, including Flock Safety systems
HARTFORD – The American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut (ACLU-CT) today called for a statewide moratorium on the use of all all automatic license plate reader (ALPR) technology until the state passes legislation to prevent the misuse, sharing, and selling of driver location data, citing risks and harms to immigrants, LGBTQ+ people, and those seeking reproductive or gender-affirming care. The announcement follows ACLU-CT filing 94 public records requests with police departments across the state seeking transparency about law enforcement’s use of ALPRs, including Flock Safety systems that track drivers’ movements and enable data sharing across state lines without adequate oversight or protection for vulnerable Connecticut residents.
The filings include 43 requests to 42 municipal police departments known to use Flock systems and one to the Connecticut State Police, as well as 51 additional requests to other municipal departments for general information about their use of ALPRs and related contracts.
The action comes amid warnings from experts, including Ken Barone of the Institute for Municipal and Regional Policy, who has examined how Connecticut driver-location data collected by police has been accessed by out-of-state agencies, including law enforcement in states that criminalize abortion or gender-affirming care and, in some instances, by agencies seeking information on undocumented individuals. There is mounting evidence nationwide, and across the region, that ALPR technology like Flock Safety is already being used to monitor, expose, and target marginalized communities in the state, as well as facilitate immigration enforcement and the criminalization of reproductive and gender-affirming healthcare, undermining the intent of our Trust Act and Shield Law . These findings underscore the urgent threat this technology poses to the data privacy and civil liberties of all Connecticut residents and the critical need to halt its use until the state implements comprehensive protections.
“Every person in Connecticut should be able to drive to work, school, or the doctor without ending up in a government database,” said David McGuire, executive director of the ACLU of Connecticut. “When our state’s location data is being accessed by ICE and states that criminalize abortion or gender-affirming care, that surveillance becomes a direct threat to people’s safety and freedom. This kind of unchecked monitoring has a chilling effect on people exercising their rights–whether visiting a health clinic, attending a protest, or going to worship. Until we have transparency and meaningful safeguards, Connecticut must halt the use of these systems.”
The ACLU-CT’s investigation builds on national findings from the ACLU and partner organizations showing that Flock’s standard contract grants the company a “worldwide, perpetual, royalty-free” license to share police-collected data “for investigative purposes.” That means information collected by a local department could be accessed by thousands of agencies nationwide unless specific contractual limits are negotiated.
“From Black and Brown communities to those seeking reproductive health and gender-affirming care, ALPR technology like Flock Safety disproportionately harms people already facing systemic discrimination, while putting everyone’s data, safety, and autonomy at risk. The public deserves to know how this surveillance technology is being used before another day of unregulated tracking occurs,” said Chelsea-Infinity Gonzalez, Director of Public Policy and Advocacy of the ACLU of Connecticut. “We are calling for an immediate moratorium on the use of this technology in Connecticut until the legislature and governor establish strict limits to prevent this data from being shared, sold, or weaponized against vulnerable communities.”
Partner Voices Call for Accountability and Privacy Protection
“In a time where all our data is mined by private companies, we do not need our state to have public-private partnerships that sell our data to the federal government and to states that are prosecuting their residents for pursuing care,” said Eric Cruz Lopez, Organizing Director of CT Students for a Dream. “Immigrants and citizens alike should not have to fear that their personal information will fall into the wrong hands, simply by driving their cars.”
“It is clear that a few people are getting very rich off of the criminalization of our communities,” said Constanza Segovia, Organizing Director of Hartford Deportation Defense. “Our municipal agencies, including police departments, must work for everybody who lives here regardless of immigration status. When we sell our neighbors’ personal information to unscrupulous third parties without public input or regulation, we put all of our people at risk. This practice must stop. We are not even calling for accountability here—just cancel the contracts if they exist and stop making rich people richer off our backs.”
“LGBTQ folks know what it’s like to be considered criminal,” said Matthew Blinstrubas, Executive Director of Equality Connecticut. “We’re very concerned about the use of this technology in Connecticut and its potential to track vulnerable people like immigrants, people of color, LGBTQ people, and people seeking legal reproductive health care – not to mention people who are just going about their business.”
“As the first state in the country to pass a shield law, Connecticut knows firsthand the importance of protecting providers and patients seeking abortion and gender-affirming care with every tool available,” said Liz Gustafson, Connecticut State Director for Reproductive Equity Now. “The possibility that those protections could be circumvented by law enforcement agencies using Flock systems is extremely concerning. Tech companies are already functioning as surveillance infrastructure for the extremist anti-abortion movement, amassing data that has been used for pregnancy- and abortion-related investigations across the country. Any failure to safeguard personal data collected by third-party ALPRs directly conflicts with Connecticut’s clear commitment to protecting care.”
“Connecticut residents have the right to know if their movements are being tracked using this ALPR technology, how long it is being used, and who has the ability to access it. And for immigrants already living under heightened scrutiny, this kind of unchecked surveillance is especially dangerous,” said Katherine Villeda, Coalition Director of HUSKY for Immigrants. “These systems collect vast amounts of data about everyday people going about their daily lives. We thank the ACLU-CT for their leadership in promoting transparency, because we know too well that data collection without limitations can be weaponized, creating serious risks for misuse and profiling. Communities shouldn’t have to wonder if a routine drive could expose their personal information to private companies or federal agencies that can lead to family separation.”
Connecticut Joins Regional Push for Transparency and Oversight
The ACLU-CT’s records requests are part of a coordinated New England effort to expose how private surveillance companies are shaping local policing. Sister ACLU affiliates in Massachusetts and Maine have undertaken similar transparency projects, revealing the broad reach of Flock’s data-sharing network.
“Every person in Connecticut deserves to move freely without being tracked, profiled, or exposed to government overreach,” said Chelsea-Infinity Gonzalez, Director of Public Policy and Advocacy of the ACLU of Connecticut. “Full transparency about these systems is essential to protecting our civil liberties and privacy, and to ensuring equity for all residents.”
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