Volume 10
Feb 2017 Edition
And even with all these advantages , we are still a fraction of the cost of competing technologies . ( Learn More about ARES wide range of capabilities , courtesy of PlateSmart and YouTube )
AST : What do you see as barriers to widespread implementation of technology like PlateSmart ’ s ?
John Chigos : One element may be the public ’ s misperception of it as a kind of “ Big Brother ” spying tool .
Police and security agencies have sometimes been reluctant to adopt it due to such privacy issues and the ethical questions they raise , even though studies show that the public is willing to accept more surveillance if it increases their security .
That misperception also filters back to our elected representatives , some of whom seek to gain votes by passing regulations of the technology that are so strict that it becomes practically useless .
We advocate reasonable regulations on data storage and retention .
At PlateSmart , we ’ ve designed our products to protect people , not spy on them , and we ’ re willing to accept necessary limitations that preserve privacy as long as they still allow law enforcement and security agencies to do their jobs . We have also designed our products so that we as a company never see the user ’ s data , and are adding features that allow the data to be anonymized for even better protection .
It ’ s important to understand that we don ’ t view groups like the ACLU or EFF as adversaries ; rather , we consider them partners , and we welcome their advice to make sure we don ’ t overstep our bounds .
AST : Do you anticipate the new Trump Administration having an impact on the industry ?
John Chigos : It ’ s interesting you should ask that . A lot of the new developments in our technology that I ’ ve been talking about ( and some I can ’ t disclose yet ) are things we ’ ve kept under wraps for some time .
The main reason was because we felt that the previous administration created a climate that was largely unreceptive to this technology and inclined more toward actions that potentially made the threats worse , such as possibly granting amnesty to illegal aliens or admitting refugees without proper vetting .
There was not a lot of willingness to listen to industry leaders about the best way to protect the
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