ILLINOIS (WCIA) -- The nation's largest automatic license plate reader company has shut off access to federal agencies after an audit revealed they may have illegally accessed data. Now, Illinois officials are considering next steps for the technology.

"The reality is that we are dealing with powerful surveillance technology, and it has been abused," Illinois' Secretary of State, Alexi Giannoulias, said.

Giannoulias' office said that Flock Safety allowed the United States Customs and Border Patrol to access Illinois license plate cameras on Illinois roads, which violates the Trust Act. These cameras are all over Central Illinois.

"We encourage local law enforcement to closely examine their relationship with Flock and ensure their use of this technology is compliant with the law," Gianno

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