Digital license plates sold by Reviver, already legal to buy in some states and drive with nationwide, can be hacked by their owners to evade traffic regulations or even law enforcement surveillance.

Digital license plates sold by Reviver, already legal to buy in some states and drive with nationwide, can be hacked by their owners to evade traffic regulations or even law enforcement surveillance.

  • NuXCOM_90Percent@lemmy.zipEnglish
    3·
    10 days ago

    There are a lot of misconceptions regarding how effective the automated scanners are.

    In theory? Yes, you can compare the license plate against the make and model and even color of the car. And there are plenty of demos of exactly that.

    In reality? It is almost never used outside of something completely egregious like “This says this is a sedan but that is actually a giant semi truck”. Because cars just aren’t distinct enough for this to be reliable enough to justify the cop brushing the donut off their stomaches, trying to remember where they left their gun, and tapping on a window.

    What it IS good for is checking for plates that have an APB out on them (so the amber alert scenario) and making up a bullshit excuse for why a black person’s car needs to be checked.