Private agents are hunting for misregistered vehicles in Connecticut

Private firms operating with little oversight are collecting data that some experts say amount to an unacceptable level of surveillance.

Longstanding compliance programs run by local governments in Connecticut to ensure proper vehicle registration have recently raised the hackles of privacy experts who say some of their practices may pose unnecessary risks to personal data and betray the spirit of the state’s consumer privacy protections.

The motor vehicle compliance programs aim to recoup revenue lost when drivers register their vehicles in the wrong jurisdictions to skirt local taxes, or overshoot the grace period after a move. Municipalities contract private firms to investigate vehicles and their owners to determine whether the residency of the vehicle’s owner matches the vehicle’s registration. Using dash-mounted automatic license plate readers, the firms collect plate and geolocation data, and cross reference it with personal information databases to verify ownership...