Company Adds Phone, AirPod, and Smartwatch Trackers to ALPRs

404 Media reports that a company called Flock Safety (or similar) is now adding Bluetooth and Wi-Fi sniffing capabilities to its automatic license plate readers (ALPRs). This allows the system to detect and log the MAC addresses of nearby devices like phones, AirPods, and smartwatches, correlating them with vehicles. The technology can identify individuals even if they are not driving, raising significant privacy concerns. The company claims it helps law enforcement solve crimes more effectively, but civil liberties groups argue it enables mass surveillance without a warrant. The use of such technology is expanding quickly, with few legal constraints in many jurisdictions.