The Iowa House has approved a bill to regulate cameras that capture and store images of license plates. The bill calls on the Iowa Department of Public Safety to identify which vendors may be used and it would require cities and counties to pass ordinances disclosing what company has been hired to collect license plate numbers and who is reviewing the data. Representative Megan Jones, a Republican from Sioux Rapids, says the images could only be stored in Iowa for 30 days if the bill becomes law.
“This is a really interesting piece of legislation where we are trying to walk that line between we’re making sure that we are giving law enforcement officers the tools they need to be successful,” Jones said “but also making sure that government isn’t overcollecting data in surveillance of Iowans.” Automated license plate readers in Iowa could NOT be used for facial recognition of drivers or passengers in vehicles if the bill becomes law.
