Forget vanity, how about digital ads on your license plate

California is so cash-strapped its state legislature is considering issuing digital license plates that would turn the back of the car into a miniature billboard.

Besides just being questionable aesthetically, technology bloggers are raising the specter of Big Brother. The wireless technology could be used to monitor how much you drive, clearing the way for state officials "to tax you based on when and where you drive," one blogger wrote. Another warned that the technology could be used to flash the word "violation" to police the moment the car's registration expires.

Check out Bob Pool's post on L.A. Now blog.

-- Peter Pae

Photo: The license plate could one day become a flashing electronic ad under a California plan. Credit: Damon Winter / Los Angeles Times