MapQuest Now Shows Where License Plate Readers Are Located

MapQuest, the mapping service best known for turn-by-turn directions, is adding a feature that marks the locations of automated license plate readers. These roadside cameras photograph vehicle plates and log them for law enforcement and, in some cases, private companies. Users can open the app and see where the cameras are in their area, the same way they would look up a gas station or a traffic jam.

The move puts a long-running privacy debate in a very ordinary place. License plate readers have spread quickly across American cities, mounted on poles, patrol cars, and private property. Critics argue that the systems build large records of where people drive, often including people who have done nothing wrong. Supporters say the cameras help recover stolen cars and find suspects in serious crimes. A map that shows the cameras makes them visible to the drivers passing under them, which changes who gets to see where they are being recorded.

The initial report did not say how the locations are collected, how often the map is updated, or whether it covers privately operated cameras as well as public ones. Those details will determine how complete the map is and how much it actually tells drivers about the systems tracking them.