Politicians in North Carolina aren’t installing AI-powered cameras on every single road in the state, but what they just greenlit allows for exactly that. After deeming a pilot program with ALPR cameras a success, the state just made it legal to install them along virtually any state-maintained road or highway. The timing and widespread use are especially interesting as criticism of surveillance technology grows.

 

A provision tucked into the state’s new budget allows the Department of Transportation to make its land and rights-of-way available for fixed Automated License Plate Readers, or ALPRs. Since North Carolina maintains roughly four out of every five road miles in the state, that’s a very large canvas. The law also allows the State Bureau of Investigation to act on behalf of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. In other words, the old pilot is now a permanent invitation.