Vehicle Electronic Signature Recognition, or digital fingerprinting, collects information to identify suspects from the electronic devices they use. This ground-breaking surveillance system for police and other government security organisations combines the legacy of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras with new sensor technology.

Leonardo’s innovative EOC Plus electronic surveillance system is powered by cutting-edge sensor technology, which enables security forces to identify persons of interest through frequencies emitted by their devices. Syncing the identities of consumer electronics – such as mobile phones, fitness trackers and vehicle components – with ANPR data, creates a digital fingerprint for that collective data set.

Thanks to strategically-placed sensors, frequencies are captured and associated with records created by ANPR cameras. When an investigation begins, algorithms can determine which specific mix of devices are predictably moving together. Linked by common time stamps, the mix is then designated as a digital fingerprint.

For example, while 30 per cent of cars may contain iPhones, only one will have an iPhone 14 Pro, an Audi radio, a pair of Bose headphones, a Garmin sports watch, a key finder and a certain number plate. The digital fingerprint represented by these specific things can identify suspicious people or vehicles, even when a number plate is unknown.

As well as identifying movements of electronic devices and vehicles, digital fingerprinting reveals signatures frequently travelling together that can lead to discovery of convoys and other transit patterns. Leonardo’s EOC Plus technology is also effective in off-road areas, such as railway stations and shopping centres, since the sensors are deployable with or without ANPR, allowing for wider coverage while also managing deployment costs.

Vehicle Electronic Signature Recognition has been designed to ensure it does not infringe on the rights of individuals; it captures device signals but does not decrypt or read the contents of the devices or their communications. In the same way, ANPR captures vehicle number plates but not driver information. Rather, the digital fingerprinting system simply stores data where it can be requested and analysed to aid investigations. It is up to law enforcement officers to make the connection between any individual and this digital information.