Fine if you don't believe me. I pray I am wrong. Reason to write this: I'm an American. The American government never just steps when it can overstep. California is the most taxed state in the country and spends like a banana republic. They want more more more, and they will get it. Once they iron the kinks out, it will spread to other states. Probably Washington, Oregon, and New York on that order.

All via private contractors, of course.

At first I wondered what the hell the point of this tech is, but then I realized it'd be government-mandated "black box" on each car. Why would a driver want something gimmicky like this (ads on cars? How many square yard of ad space do cars have already?), but if it's mandatory, then, that's the point of the tech.

Use mesh networking and cars can tattle-tale on others, "The Hyundai with the expired tax went that way, auto-cop!", and it'd be easy enough to spot because the display will be blinking "Expired tax" instead of showing the plate.

Literally both things can be true.

Also I hope you're right and he's wrong.

Though I can imagine a pretty cool hacker future where people just hack tags in to place. I'm also afraid of them being equipped with RFID.