[Infowarrior] - VA enacts shortest LPR retention policy in country

[Richard Forno]

Virginia passes shortest limit in US on keeping license plate reader data

by Cyrus Farivar - Mar 16, 2015 7:00am EDT

Virginia has become the first state in America to impose a very short data retention limit on the use of automated license plate readers (LPRs, or ALPRs). VA cops will now only be able to keep such data for seven days unless there is an active, ongoing criminal investigation.
New Hampshire previously banned the devices outright, while Maine has imposed a 21-day limit. However, many jurisdictions nationwide, ranging from the New York State Police to the Oakland Police Department, have no formal data retention limit. That means the location data—often resulting in millions of records collected over years—is effectively kept forever.

Governor Terry McAuliffe (D) signed the Virginia bill into law on March 10, and it will take effect on July 1. His spokesman did not immediately respond to Ars' request for comment.

"It is great to see that Virginia legislators have recognized the threats to privacy posed by longer ALPR retention periods and also recognized that longer retention periods aren’t necessary to serve the main purposes of ALPRs—finding wanted and stolen vehicles," Jennifer Lynch, an attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, told Ars by e-mail.

"In 2013, Virginia’s Attorney General issued a formal opinion on ALPRs where he stated that Virginia shouldn’t be keeping ALPR data on innocent citizens. However, that opinion didn’t have the force of law. If passed, this bill will, and I hope other states will follow Virginia’s lead."

The law, entitled the "Government Data Collection and Dissemination Practices Act," expands the state’s definition of "personal information" to include license plate number and "presence at any place," or location data.

As the statute explains ....

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http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2015/03/virginia-passes-shortest-limit-in-us-on-keeping-license-plate-reader-data/

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