ALPR & FLOCK Cameras
Our Reasons
01
Encroachment on Personal Freedoms
Mass Surveillance Without Cause: ALPR networks act as a dragnet system, scanning and cataloging every vehicle that passes—even though fewer than 1% of cars scanned are connected to any crime or wrongdoing.
Tracking Everyday Life: Flock cameras do not just read plates; they log vehicle make, color, stickers, and physical features. Over time, this creates a detailed, warrantless map of where residents live, work, worship, seek medical care, and send their children to school.
Uncontrolled Data Sharing: Data logged by municipal Flock systems can be queried by hundreds of outside law enforcement bodies, federal agencies, or out-of-state jurisdictions without local judicial oversight or warrants.
Bypassing Democratic Oversight: Flock contracts are frequently signed behind closed doors or through police department line items, bypassing public debate and city council scrutiny.
02
High Error Rates & Physical Danger
False Positives: Independent assessments show up to 1 in 10 scans can misread license plate numbers or state origins.
Real-World Harm: Misread plates lead to high-risk felony traffic stops where innocent motorists (including families with children) have been held at gunpoint or wrongfully detained due to automated system errors.
Hundreds of Unchecked Searches: In multiple documented cases, individual officers ran license plates belonging to their ex-partners, their exes' family members, or new romantic partners hundreds of times over span of months to track their daily routines, doctor visits, grocery runs, and social lives.
Systemic Failure of Internal Controls: These abuses were almost never caught automatically by the technology or internal department audits. In nearly every recorded instance, the surveillance only came to light after victims noticed suspicious behavior, sought protective orders, or filed explicit complaints with law enforcement.
Weaponizing State Power for Coercive Control: Because officers have direct, unrestrained access to regional and national ALPR lookup portals, a abusive ex-partner in law enforcement gains real-time tracking capabilities over a victim without ever physically following them or placing a physical GPS tracker on their car.
03
Critical Cybersecurity & Technical Vulnerabilities
Exposed Live Feeds & Archives: Tech researcher Benn Jordan demonstrated that Flock cameras and integrated PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom) systems have repeatedly been exposed to the open internet without requiring passwords, allowing unauthorized third parties to view live feeds, review historical archives, or delete footage.
Outdated & Flawed Architecture: Devices tested were found running obsolete operating systems (such as unpatched Android 8), storing unencrypted images, and broadcasting hardcoded Wi-Fi networks that facilitate local hijacking or man-in-the-middle attacks.
Lax Access Controls: Police access portals historically failed to enforce standard security measures like mandatory Two-Factor Authentication (2FA). Storing sensitive location histories on easily compromised hardware creates a severe liability for municipal infrastructure.
More Reading
Get the FLOCK Out (ACLU)
FLOCK Out (Fight for the Future)
Ben Jordan Exposes Severe Security Vulnerabilities in Flock Surveillance Cameras (Privacy Guides)
Vulnerability in Flock Condor Cameras Lets Anyone Spy on the Public (Independent Institute)
‘Own the Narrative’: Leaked Flock Guide Shows How It Teaches Cops to Promote Its Tech (404 Media)