By Ed Pilkington in New York, guardian.co.uk, July 17, 2013

Alarming number of databases across US are storing details of Americans' locations – not just government agencies

Millions of Americans are having their movements tracked through automated scanning of their car license plates, with the records held often indefinitely in vast government and private databases.

A new report from the American Civil Liberties Union has found an alarming proliferation of databases across the US storing details of Americans' locations. The technology is not confined to government agencies – private companies are also getting in on the act, with one firm National Vehicle Location Service holding more than 800m records of scanned license plates [....]

ACLU found that only five states have introduced laws to govern these scanning devices, while at a local level standards vary enormously across the country. [....]