Using Technology to Protect Alaskans Without Sacrificing Our Privacy

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This is a living document. As technology changes and Alaskans provide input, this proposal should continue to evolve.

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Technology such as automated license-plate readers, including Flock Safety cameras, and automated traffic cameras can help law enforcement locate stolen vehicles, find missing people, identify wanted suspects, and improve roadway safety.

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But technology that can protect us can also be misused.

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My position is simple: Alaska should use technology when it makes our communities safer, but government and private companies should never have unlimited authority to track innocent Alaskans.

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We can protect public safety and constitutional privacy at the same time.

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Separate License-Plate Readers From Speed Cameras

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These technologies serve different purposes and should have different rules.

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Automated License-Plate Readers

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License-plate readers can record license plates, vehicle characteristics, locations, dates, and times. Law enforcement can use this information to locate vehicles connected to legitimate investigations.

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Traffic-Safety Cameras

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Speed and red-light cameras are designed to detect traffic violations.

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Alaska should regulate these two technologies separately rather than treating every camera as though it serves the same purpose.

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Automated License-Plate Reader Protections

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Public Safety Purposes Only

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Law enforcement should be permitted to use license-plate-reader databases for legitimate purposes such as:

Stolen vehicles

Missing persons

AMBER and Silver Alerts

Wanted suspects

Serious criminal investigations

Vehicles connected to criminal activity

Immediate threats to public safety

 

The system should not become a database allowing government employees to casually investigate where ordinary Alaskans travel.

 

Require a Case or Incident Number

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Every database search should record:

Who conducted the search

When the search occurred

Why the search was conducted

What vehicle or plate was searched

The associated case or incident number

 

Emergency searches could be permitted without immediately entering all information, but they should automatically be flagged for supervisory review afterward.

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This creates accountability without preventing officers from responding quickly during emergencies.

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Limit How Long Innocent Drivers’ Information Is Stored

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Most vehicles recorded by these cameras have absolutely nothing to do with criminal activity.

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Alaska should establish a short default retention period, such as seven days, for routine license-plate information.

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Information connected to an actual investigation could be preserved longer when properly documented.

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Government should not maintain a permanent history of where innocent people have traveled simply because technology makes it possible.

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Protect Constitutional Activity

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License-plate-reader systems should never be used simply to identify or track people because they are participating in lawful activities protected by the Constitution.

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That includes tracking someone solely because of:

Political activity

Religious activity

Peaceful demonstrations

Lawful public meetings

Political campaigns

Other constitutionally protected activities

 

Our constitutional rights should not disappear because surveillance technology becomes cheaper.

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Control Federal and Interstate Data Sharing

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Alaska should decide who has access to information collected in Alaska.

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Private technology companies should not have unlimited authority to distribute Alaska law-enforcement data throughout a national network.

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Any sharing with federal agencies, other states, or outside organizations should follow clearly established Alaska law and be connected to legitimate law-enforcement purposes.

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Independent Audits and Public Accountability

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Alaska should require regular independent audits of automated license-plate-reader systems.

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Public reports should disclose information such as:

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Number of searches conducted

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Number of successful investigative hits

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Agencies receiving Alaska information

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Confirmed cases of misuse

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Disciplinary actions resulting from misuse

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How long information is being retained

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These reports should protect active investigations and personal information while still allowing Alaskans to know whether the system is being used properly.

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Serious Penalties for Intentional Misuse

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No law-enforcement officer or government employee should be permitted to use these databases to track:

A former spouse

A boyfriend or girlfriend

A neighbor

A political opponent

A journalist

A business competitor

Anyone else for personal reasons

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Intentional misuse should result in meaningful disciplinary action and, in serious cases, criminal penalties.

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Access to powerful technology must come with powerful accountability.

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Hold Technology Companies Accountable

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Companies providing surveillance technology to Alaska should operate under Alaska’s rules.

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Contracts should establish that:

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Alaska controls its law-enforcement information.

Vendors cannot sell the information.

Vendors cannot independently share the information.

Information cannot be used for unrelated commercial purposes.

Vendors must comply with Alaska retention and deletion requirements.

Security breaches must immediately be reported.

 

Alaska can audit vendor compliance.

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A private company’s privacy policy should never substitute for Alaska law.

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A Camera Hit Is a Lead, Not Proof of a Crime

An automated license-plate-reader alert should provide law enforcement with an investigative lead, not automatically establish that the person driving the vehicle committed a crime.

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Officers should verify the information and establish the appropriate legal basis before taking enforcement action.

Technology can assist human judgment. It should not replace it.

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Automated Speed and Traffic Cameras

Safety, Not Revenue

Traffic cameras should be used because there is a demonstrated safety problem, not because a municipality discovers that cameras generate revenue.

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I would support carefully regulated traffic cameras in locations such as:

School zones

Active construction zones

High-crash intersections

Railroad crossings

Roadways with documented dangerous-speeding problems

Drivers Should Receive Clear Warning

Automated enforcement should not become a “gotcha” system.

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Locations using automated traffic enforcement should have clearly visible signs warning drivers that cameras are being used.

The purpose should be to change dangerous driving behavior before someone gets hurt, not simply issue as many tickets as possible.

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Human Review and the Right to Appeal

A computer should not have the final word when government imposes a penalty.

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Automated citations should receive appropriate human review, and every person receiving a citation should have access to a simple and fair appeal process.

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Measure Whether Cameras Actually Work

Every automated traffic-safety location should be periodically evaluated.

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Alaskans should be able to see:

Crashes before and after installation

Injuries before and after installation

Changes in dangerous speeding

Number of citations issued

Revenue generated

Cost of operating the system

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Then we should ask one straightforward question:

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Did this camera actually make the road safer?

If crashes, injuries, or dangerous driving have not meaningfully improved, the government should have to justify keeping the camera.

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The Alaska Standard

Technology will become more powerful over the next 25 years. Artificial intelligence, facial recognition, license-plate readers, cameras, and other systems will give government capabilities previous generations could hardly imagine.

That means we need to establish the rules before the technology gets ahead of our laws.

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My goal is not to prohibit useful technology.

My goal is to establish a simple Alaska standard:

Use technology to protect Alaskans, but never give government or a private corporation unlimited authority to track innocent people. Public safety and constitutional privacy must exist together.

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That is how we move Alaska forward responsibly while protecting the freedoms of future generations.

William Hunt
Candidate for Alaska State Senate, District Q
A 25-Year Plan for Future Generations
Not Left. Not Right. Forward, Together.