Investigation Launched into Illinois Police Department for Sharing License-Plate Data
Illinois officials are investigating a police department for sharing license-plate data with Texas authorities in connection with a woman who had an abortion.
Overview
- Illinois officials are probing the Mount Prospect police department for sharing license-plate data with a Texas sheriff investigating a woman's abortion.
- The investigation centers on potential violations of state law regarding the sharing of sensitive data about women seeking abortions and undocumented immigrants.
- Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias has requested an attorney general investigation and is implementing an audit system for compliance with new data-sharing laws.
- Flock Safety has blocked access to abortion and immigration data for out-of-state agencies, following concerns raised by Giannoulias.
- Violations by the Mount Prospect police could result in a loss of state funding as the investigation continues into their data-sharing practices.
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Analysis
Emphasizes the investigation into police sharing license-plate data related to abortion and immigration.
Illinois Secretary of State requests investigation into suburban Chicago police department for sharing license-plate data with Texas sheriff.
Mount Prospect police shared license-plate data with a Texas sheriff searching for a woman who had self-administered an abortion.
Mount Prospect shared data on undocumented immigrants both within and outside of Illinois, in violation of state law.
Flock Safety blocked access to out-of-state agencies seeking data related to abortion or immigration at Giannoulias' request, affecting 62 agencies in total.
Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias has asked the attorney general to review the matter and is implementing an audit system to ensure compliance with a new law.
Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias is implementing an audit system to ensure police departments comply with laws prohibiting the distribution of license-plate data for tracking women seeking abortions or undocumented immigrants.
Articles (3)
Center (3)
"…This demonstrates a broader, problematic trend of other states leveraging this emerging technology, extending their reach beyond their jurisdictions to surveil and hunt down law-abiding individuals."
Chicago Tribune"…The incident underscores the fears that led to the law: In particular, that states which restricted abortion access after Roe v. Wade was overturned would use the technology to follow and possibly prosecute women seeking the procedure by crossing into Illinois, where it is readily available."
ABC News·1M·"…The incident underscores the fears that led to the law: In particular, that states which restricted abortion access after Roe v. Wade was overturned would use the technology to follow and possibly prosecute women seeking the procedure by crossing into Illinois, where it is readily available."
Associated Press·1M·FAQ
The investigation focuses on potential violations of Illinois state laws regarding the sharing of sensitive data about women seeking abortions and undocumented immigrants, which are meant to protect privacy and restrict such data-sharing practices.
Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias has called for an attorney general investigation into the matter and is implementing an audit system to ensure compliance with new data-sharing laws in Illinois.
Flock Safety, a company providing license-plate reader data services, has blocked access to abortion and immigration-related data for out-of-state agencies following concerns raised by Illinois officials about privacy violations.
If the Mount Prospect police department is found to have violated state laws on data sharing, they could face consequences including the loss of state funding during the ongoing investigation.
Illinois has revised its abortion data collection system to protect patient privacy by simplifying the type of data collected and limiting public reporting, such as no longer reporting abortion numbers by county or detailed residency information, in compliance with the state’s Reproductive Health Act.
History
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