A multinational aerospace, defense, and security technology company has begun marketing an upgrade to its Automatic License Plate Reader (ALPR) system that records smart device identifiers — like those used by smartphones, earbuds, watches, tire pressure sensors, employee badges and pet microchips.
The upgrade, called SignalTrace, can be installed on the ALPR systems already deployed across the United States by Leonardo, an aerospace, defense, and security technology company headquartered in Rome.
SignalTrace expands traditional ALPR capabilities by detecting and correlating electronic devices near vehicles of interest, the company said in a statement.
By capturing publicly broadcast frequency activity from smartphones, Bluetooth wearables, car infotainment systems, and other devices, it continued, SignalTrace creates a unique "electronic fingerprint" that can be used for investigative purposes.
The system links multiple devices that consistently move with a vehicle, correlating them to the vehicle's license plate and time-stamped location data, it added. Even if a suspect changes or removes a license plate, SignalTrace's algorithms can still provide actionable intelligence by identifying the unique mix of devices they carry or use.
