Electronic Frontier Foundation
A Texas sheriff used 83,000+ license plate reader cameras to track a woman “suspected of having an abortion.” The reason listed in the record: “had an abortion, search for female.” https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/05/she-got-abortion-so-texas-cop-used-83000-cameras-track-her-down
She Got an Abortion. So A Texas Cop Used 83,000 Cameras to Track Her Down.

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: Lawmakers who support reproductive rights must recognize that abortion access and mass surveillance are incompatible. The systems built to track stolen cars and issue parking tickets have become tools to enforce the most personal and politically charged laws in the country.

Electronic Frontier Foundation
Jun 1, 2025 at 4:06pmWeb
Show threadSpiderroll 💜🤍🖤Jun 1, 2025

@eff

It is too dangerous to get pregnant in this country.

Miscarriages are now criminalized - the people going around announcing their pregnancy are the people who wanted it and were wanting to try.

Show threadBill ZaumenJun 1, 2025

@eff While it wouldn't work for a medical procedure after which you shouldn't drive or bounce around slightly, there is a simple way to defeat license plate readers: foldable electric scooters. Just park a mile or so away and use the scooter to get between your car and your destination. The smallest scooters fit easily in the trunk of a small car, making it hard to tell that you have one with you.

https://dynamicscooter.com/product/model-b/

Dynamic Scooter Model B

Our Compact and Lightweight Electronic Scooter Model B is the perfect travel companion – easy to transport, powerful electric motor, reliable brakes.

Dynamic Scooter
Show threada fish named dog ✡️♾️Jun 1, 2025
@eff I don't suppose in actual murder cases they use 83,000 cameras to track people down?
Show thread�Jun 1, 2025

@FishNamedDog bUt sHE hAD aN AbOrTIoN, ShE iS aN aCtUaL muRdEReR

- texas joe

Show threadRandall LeeJun 1, 2025
@FishNamedDog @eff Nope. They have Flock cameras all over Akron but they never caught the gunmen that shot up a birthday party nearly two years ago to the day. Killed multiple people. Nothing.
Show threada fish named dog ✡️♾️Jun 2, 2025
@BLTpizza @eff Technically we only know they use 83,000 cameras in texas. maybe in ohio they just ignore it!
Show thread🜏 Techate 🜏Jun 1, 2025
@eff , gosh, I certainly hope no hackers take aim at these license plate readers and just send a bunch of AI generated license plates, misusing one awful technology to spoil another misused technology. That would be just be awful.
Show threadJanie Karma S 🏳️‍🌈🖖🏿Jun 1, 2025

@eff

#MAGA
#GOP

Show threadRobin BartonJun 1, 2025
@eff That is sad, twisted and wrong oh yeah and none of his business
Show threadArena Cops 🇺🇦✌Jun 1, 2025
@eff Sick big brother maniacs on the loose. 😬😎
Show threadAnomalous HumanJun 1, 2025
@eff And, again, we see that information is collected on people, and *someone* in power decides to use that information against those people. The government, regardless of which party/entity/person is in power, is not our friend.
Show threadFerdi MagellanJun 1, 2025

@eff

Jfc. Texas is a misogynist hellscape

“While this particular data point explicitly mentioned an abortion, scores of others in the audit logs released through public records requests simply list "investigation" as the reason for the plate search, with no indication of the alleged offense. That means other searches targeting someone for abortion, or another protected right in that jurisdiction, could be effectively invisible.

“This case underscores our growing concern: that the mass surveillance infrastructure—originally sold as a tool to find stolen cars or missing persons—is now being used to target people seeking reproductive healthcare. This unchecked, warrant-less access that allows law enforcement to surveil across state lines blurs the line between “protection” and persecution.”

#Texas #Abortion #RightToChoose #WomensRights
#MyBodyMyChoice
#USPol

Show threadBeriliousJun 2, 2025
@eff this sounds crazy. But was probably an automated search, so maybe not quite as crazy when you think about it that way. I forget sometimes how backwards america is going.