New Surveillance Tech Links Mobile Devices to License Plates
AI-generated image · US National Wire
Leonardo's SignalTrace system allows police to associate electronic signatures from phones and smartwatches with specific vehicles and locations.
A new surveillance system marketed by the security company Leonardo is designed to link consumer electronic devices to vehicle license plate records, according to reporting from Ars Technica.
The technology, known as SignalTrace, works alongside automatic license plate readers to detect signals broadcast by devices such as smartphones and smartwatches. By identifying groups of devices that regularly travel together, the software creates an electronic signature associated with a specific vehicle. This allows investigators to track targets across various locations and search patterns even when a license plate number is unknown.
While Leonardo claims the system "does not identify people" because it only collects electronic signatures rather than legal names, Ars Technica notes that police can derive identities by linking these signatures to registered vehicle owners or other known records. The company's own product materials state the system helps identify suspects based on the mix of devices they carry.
Though not yet a widespread police practice, Ars Technica reports that SignalTrace devices have been installed in Oxon Hill, Maryland, and predecessor technology has appeared on a New York state contract price list.
The expansion of such tracking comes amid evolving legal standards. Ars Technica highlights the June 2026 Supreme Court decision in *Chatrie v. United States*, which ruled that obtaining location data constitutes a Fourth Amendment search, noting that even brief monitoring can expose a person's family, political, and other associations.