Leonardo's SignalTrace links phone signals to license plate readers
Leonardo markets SignalTrace, a surveillance system that links wireless device signals detected near vehicles to license plate reader data, enabling police to track individuals' movements. Researchers warn the technology could implicate people in investigations based on proximity to vehicles, despite the company's claim that it does not identify people.
What happened
Leonardo markets SignalTrace, a system designed to work alongside automatic license plate readers to detect and track wireless device signals such as Bluetooth and RFID tags from phones and smartwatches traveling in vehicles.
The system recognizes groups of consumer devices that regularly move together, associates them with license plate records and locations, and can be searched by police without knowing the plate number.
Several devices are installed in Oxon Hill, Maryland, and the company's predecessor technology appears on an official New York state contract price list.
Reported impact
Researchers and privacy advocates express concern that SignalTrace could enable investigators to track people's movements and associations before their identities are known, based solely on linking device signals to known vehicles.
The system could implicate individuals in investigations because their phone signals appear alongside a vehicle registered to someone else or at locations connected to an investigation subject.
Index analysis
Leonardo states that SignalTrace 'does not identify people' and 'only collects electronic signatures' from signals already broadcast, with output requiring corroboration through ordinary investigative methods.
However, researchers note that police could work out likely device ownership by linking signals to vehicle registration records, home locations, or known investigation subjects, making the narrow definition of identification potentially misleading.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.