Tiburon, CA will photograph and record license plate of every visitor to town

from http://www.boingboing.net/2009/07/20/tiburon-ca-will-phot.html

Posted by Cory Doctorow, July 20, 2009

John sez, "The town of Tiburon, California (pop. 9,000) has a scheme to photograph and record the license plate number of every single vehicle that enters the municipality, in order to 'fight crime.' But don't worry: 'As long as you don't arrive in a stolen vehicle or go on a crime spree while you're here, your anonymity will be preserved,' said Town Manager Peggy Curran." h

Melissa Ngo, a privacy rights attorney and consultant who publishes privacylives.com, said she is not aware of a situation where a town is keeping a record of all visitors.

"The point is we live in a land where people are considered innocent until proven guilty," Ngo said. "Not a land where it's supposed to be -- prove that you're not doing anything wrong by letting us watch you do everything."

Curled on the edge of the San Francisco Bay in Marin County, Tiburon is not a high-crime spot. In 2008, police report there were 99 thefts, 20 burglaries and two auto thefts.

Town on SF Bay wants to photograph every car (Thanks, John!)