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Why AI-powered city cameras are sounding new privacy alarms

Fast Company Tech The Conversation April 5, 2026
Why AI-powered city cameras are sounding new privacy alarms
AI Summary— plain English for professionals

# AI-Powered License Plate Cameras Are Expanding Across U.S. Cities—With Little Oversight Cities nationwide are installing AI-powered cameras that automatically read and store license plate data from thousands of vehicles every day, creating searchable databases that law enforcement can access. Privacy experts worry this technology is growing too fast without proper safeguards, especially since it could be used to unfairly target specific groups like immigrants or people protesting. What started as a crime-fighting tool in the 1970s has evolved into a mass surveillance system that tracks your movements simply by driving down the street.

For decades, cars dictated urban planning in the United States. Few could have predicted that they would one day also double as nodes for surveillance. In thousands of towns and cities across the U.S., automatic license plate readers have been installed at major intersections, bridges and high

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