Nanette Barragán says the lack of federal limits on plate-reader data "is not acceptable"

Rep. Nanette Barragán said that few meaningful federal limits govern how license plate data is collected, stored or shared, that companies are not held accountable, and that this makes it easier for agencies such as ICE to use the data against immigrant families. She said the country can have both public safety and privacy but not a surveillance state that tracks people without accountability, and that she will keep pushing in Congress to close that gap.

“Right now, there are few meaningful federal limits on how this kind of data is collected, stored, or shared. There is also a failure to hold companies accountable or put strict rules in place on the use and collection of data. That is not acceptable. When there are no real limits on who can access this data, it becomes easier for agencies like ICE to use it against immigrant families and working communities, the very people our public safety systems should be protecting, not putting at risk. This is about more than privacy. It is about whether people can go to work, visit a doctor, or move through their communities without being tracked and having that information used against them. We can have public safety and privacy. What we cannot have is a surveillance state that tracks people without accountability, and I will keep pushing in Congress to close that gap.”