Home Depot, Lowe's Install ALPR Cameras in Connecticut as 30-Day Data Retention Fuels Privacy Concerns
Updated
Updated · Fox News · May 16
Home Depot, Lowe's Install ALPR Cameras in Connecticut as 30-Day Data Retention Fuels Privacy Concerns
5 articles · Updated · Fox News · May 16
Connecticut Home Depot and Lowe's stores are using automated license plate readers that log plate numbers, time, location and vehicle details as shoppers enter and leave parking lots.
The retailers say the cameras deter theft and improve safety, while Flock Safety says data sharing with police is off by default and records are deleted after 30 days unless owners choose otherwise.
Police in Connecticut can access some of that data, and some departments have written agreements for automatic or continuous access to cameras at certain stores.
Connecticut recently tightened rules for police-run plate readers, limiting out-of-state sharing and banning immigration enforcement use, but those rules do not directly cover private retailers.
That gap has sharpened privacy concerns because shoppers may not know their plates are being scanned, which agencies can search the data or how long records are kept.
Private cameras log your every shopping trip. What real power do you have over who sees and uses this data?
A tech company's cameras aim to 'eliminate crime.' Is this the future of safety or a private surveillance state we are building?