California Democrats are hoping to pass a bill that would allow location tracking technology on all “alternative” license plates and registration cards.
Democratic Rep. Lori Wilson is seeking to replace existing law on digital license plates.
In October 2022, Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill allowing digital identifiers into law.
Rep. Wilson, who introduced the bill at the time, called digital license plates a “convenience initiative” and argued that it’s “all about giving Californians choice.”
“Locate, track, monitor, eavesdrop on or otherwise monitor any employee.”
These plates boasted features primarily around digital registration renewals, as opposed to the traditional license plate sticker system and paper registration.
NPR At the time, it was reported that the plates could be equipped with a GPS tracking device for either the employer or the owner themselves. Now, Rep. Wilson is sponsoring new legislation. AB3138This means that all vehicles fitted with one of the digital plates will be equipped with “vehicle location technology.”
The Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital rights group, Reclaiming the Internet The new bill “directly voids the agreement from 2022 and explicitly requires the location tracking of digital license plates of passenger vehicles,” it said.
The bill further provides that if employers use tracking devices to “monitor employees,” they can only do so during working hours or “when strictly necessary for the performance of the employee’s job duties.”
The bill defines “surveillance” to include “locating, tracking, monitoring, eavesdropping or otherwise monitoring an employee.”
The main developers of the new digital plates are Reviveris also a sponsor of AB 3138. Reviver is a California-based company that offers an effective computer screen called RPlate for $39.95 per month, or $699 in a one-time payment.
Its features are pretty disappointing, including “Light or Dark Mode” with custom banner message, in-app registration updates, and “Tamper-proof mounting.”
Reviver was hacked in 2022 Auto WeekHackers could allegedly see the real-time location and registered address of license plate owners. They could also remove or change the owner’s license plate or falsely mark the vehicle as stolen. Reviver responded by applying a patch to protect against the exploitation of the software vulnerability.
The company’s website states: page Ask “Can I do it?” [the RPlate] Can it be stolen or hacked?
The company’s response reads, “RPlate Battery and RPlate Wired have built-in tamper-proof mounts, robust anti-theft features, and communicate using secure cloud communications. We take measures to thwart hacking and ensure all your information is safe.”
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