Comment on Hackers Can Jailbreak Digital License Plates to Make Others Pay Their Tolls and Tickets
NuXCOM_90Percent@lemmy.zip 2 days ago
I mean, it is also pretty trivial to just steal a license plate. Or even to put a decal on the back of your license plate to make that 9 into an 8 and so forth.
The reality is the same as with a digital one. If your number is for a stolen car or an amber alert, you are gonna have a bad time. Otherwise? You are fine for a red light camera. You are fucked once the cop pulls you over and wants to see your license and registration and realizes the plate doesn’t match.
nickwitha_k@lemmy.sdf.org 2 days ago
APR systems also exist and are installed in a good portion of police cars. Likely to get flagged if the plate and make/model do not match.
NuXCOM_90Percent@lemmy.zip 2 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.