TechCrunch Daily Crunch Inside Uzbekistan’s nationwide license plate surveillance system
Dec 24, 2025
A high-resolution camera network in Uzbekistan monitors vehicles and their occupants, tracking potential violations nationwide. A specific vehicle was followed for six months, revealing extensive surveillance capabilities. Security researchers discovered that the system was exposed online, including sensitive data like camera locations and millions of photos. This incident raises significant privacy concerns, mirroring similar risks as license plate reader technologies expand in the US. The podcast dives deep into the implications of such surveillance on individual privacy.
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Nationwide High-Resolution Vehicle Surveillance
- Uzbekistan runs a nationwide network of ~100 high-resolution roadside cameras scanning plates and occupants continuously.
- The system records millions of images and video enabling nation-scale vehicle tracking and behavior analysis.
Researcher Finds Unprotected Database
- Security researcher Anarug Sen discovered the system exposed online without a password this month.
- He accessed the database and revealed how a heavily surveilled driver was tracked across cities over six months.
New Systems Can Expose Long-Term Tracking
- Artifacts show the system's database was created in Sep 2024 and monitoring began mid-2025.
- The exposure reveals how newly deployed national systems can become open windows into citizens' movements.