Netherlands: digital motorway surveillance
01 September 1995
A secret plan called the "license plate recognition system" has been exposed which will allow for a round-the-clock monitoring of motorways and border crossings by electronic cameras hooked up to computers with pattern recognition software. The system, once in operation, would be able to identify the license plates of passing cars within seconds and check this information against central computer data banks holding data on stolen vehicles, tax avoiders and suspected criminals. The technology will be developed by a consortium of four companies headed by Technet BV in Eindhoven. The project is partially funded by a 400,000 guilders grant from the European Fund for Regional Development. The Registration Chamber does not expect them to violate any privacy laws. The police have admitted they are working on a digital car recognition system to be used on motorways, but refuse to provide further details.