Motorola Automated License Plate Recognition Cameras Aren’t Just For Law Enforcement Anymore

Real Time Vehicle Tracking For Anyone?

Taking a break from the AI powered AI news from the AI enhanced CES 2025, here’s something to make you somewhat nervous when driving. A security researcher has discovered a flaw in the license plate readers used by law enforcement which allows anyone with a bit of knowledge to access those cameras for their own use.  These are cameras which broadcast real time video of traffic to law enforcement, but lack any need for a login to access.  They also record fairly detailed information about the vehicles they record, including when the car passed by, it’s geographic location and information about the make and model of the car.  This alone could be a little concerning for those who champion privacy, but the fact that the information can be accessed by anyone and even streamed live to a site of their choice should worry everyone.

Wired tested out the flaw and quickly found 37 different IP addresses assigned to the vulnerable Motorola cameras, in a dozen cities across the US and in 20 minutes had collected the make, model, color, and license plates of nearly 4,000 vehicles.  When they contacted Motorola, the corporate vice president overseeing license plate recognition products at Motorola Solutions assured them that a fix is in the works.  In the mean time, these Motorola license plate cameras are a treasure trove for stalkers and thieves, who will be able to track the movement of people with ridiculous ease.

It will be interesting to see what fallout we see because of this, as these license plate cameras collect a lot more data than one might expect and privacy advocates are likely to raise concerns about this process.