The Electronic Frontier Foundation has raised alarms about this soaring wave of monitoring technology. Police departments are now deploying drones armed with automated license plate readers — aiming to turn airspace into scanning zones. One standout example is the Flock Safety Aerodome drone, marketed as the “future of air support for public safety.” But to many, it’s a nightmare wrapped in tech innovation.
License plate readers on the ground already compile an astonishing amount of data on countless drivers without their knowledge. Add the limitless roaming of drones and that data harvest reaches a whole new level. These flying scanners can cover miles in minutes, picking up plates on highways, side streets, even parking lots — mapping where and when cars travel with unnerving accuracy.
The argument from law enforcement is that these tools help crack cases faster, keep the streets safer, and track known offenders. But the human cost is significant. Imagine the ordinary driver, going about life, unaware their every trip might be recorded, logged, and potentially stored indefinitely. What happens when that data ends up shared, leaked, or misused? How do you reclaim any sense of anonymity on the roads when the sky itself becomes a watchful eye?
Privacy advocates warn this technology risks creating a surveillance state without meaningful oversight, a creeping normalization of ubiquitous monitoring. It’s not sci-fi—it’s already here, drones and all.
As drone license plate readers spread, the question isn’t just what law enforcement can do, but what our society should allow. Balancing safety with privacy is harder when the watchers are airborne and invisible to those being watched. The future of freedom may well be decided in the sky above.