AI-powered license plate reader (ALPR) technology, notably from vendors like Flock, is enabling law enforcement to conduct “pretextual stops” based on “suspicious” travel patterns. A woman named Grace Knowles was stopped by an FBI agent who used ALPR data to claim her travel history was suspicious, a tactic increasingly employed by various agencies including Border Patrol. These “whisper stops” or “intel stops” use minor traffic violations as a cover to investigate individuals flagged by AI analysis of ALPR data, often combined with commercial data broker information. This trend raises significant privacy concerns, potentially leading to more unwarranted police encounters, increased abuse of power, and a chilling effect on citizens’ freedom of movement and association in a democracy.