U.S. police deploy drones equipped with license plate readers, raising privacy concerns, warns EFF

Drones equipped with license plate readers, unlike fixed ALPR systems, can now scan vehicles mid-flight and access private spaces like driveways and backyards, raising serious privacy and ethical concerns about expanding police surveillance beyond traditional public boundaries

A recent report from the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) reveals that U.S. police departments are increasingly deploying drones equipped with automated license plate reader (ALPR) technology. This development builds on existing Drone as First Responder (DFR) programs, which allow drones to provide real-time situational awareness to law enforcement before officers arrive on the scene.

Drones as mobile license plate readers

Traditionally, ALPR systems have been mounted on stationary cameras or patrol vehicles. However, companies like Flock Safety are now offering drones capable of scanning and recording license plates mid-flight using optical character recognition. This capability extends the drone’s primary role from situational assessment to actively tracking vehicle information.

While DFR programs offer clear advantages—such as enhancing officer safety by providing advance intelligence—adding ALPR technology introduces significant privacy risks. Unlike fixed cameras, drones can traverse private properties, collecting data from areas typically shielded from public view, such as backyards and driveways. This mobility challenges conventional expectations of privacy and raises ethical questions about surveillance overreach.

Widespread use and data management concerns

The EFF’s Atlas of Surveillance shows that about 1,500 U.S. police departments currently use drones, with fleets ranging from a handful to hundreds of devices. These drones generate extensive data sets at a low operational cost, yet concerns persist regarding data retention and sharing. Many agencies keep the information longer than necessary and store it on centralized or external servers, which may be accessible to other government entities.

An investigation by Wired highlighted troubling patterns in drone operations, revealing that roughly 10% of drone flights had no documented purpose, and many were marked simply as “unknown,” underscoring the lack of transparency and accountability in drone surveillance practices.

Legal challenges and the path forward

The legal landscape surrounding aerial surveillance is inconsistent. While a few states have ruled warrantless drone surveillance unconstitutional, most have no clear protections in place. With AI integration, drones equipped with ALPR could become powerful, continuous monitoring tools, raising fears of a surveillance state. Some companies have even proposed linking ALPR scans to personal data, allowing law enforcement instant access to detailed vehicle owner profiles.

As the use of drones and ALPR technology grows, experts emphasize the urgent need for robust regulations to safeguard privacy rights while harnessing law enforcement benefits. Striking the right balance between security and civil liberties will be essential as this technology continues to advance.