A new website, HaveIBeenFlocked.com, allows users to check if their license plate has been searched through the Flock system database.
Flock cameras are a brand of Automated License Plate Readers made by Flock Safety, a private for-profit technology company. Unlike regular security cameras that have to be manually reviewed, Flock cameras use AI to capture photos of passing cars and log data such as license plates, make, model, or color, into a searchable database.
The cameras have been branded “big brother”, “mass surveillance”, and are very unpopular due to the fact that they track and log someone’s movements, regardless of if they are a criminal suspect or not. As a result, a new website has launched that allows users to check if they’ve been searched.
How the site works
HaveIBeenFlocked.com compiles Flock audit logs, allowing users to type in their license plate number, and the website returns information on search results, including whether or not a Flock system operator has searched the database for their license plate.
The audit log includes the stated reason that someone in law enforcement gave in order to look up the license plate, but doesn’t include if or when your vehicle passed one of the Flock cameras.
The site also claims that those searching the Flock databases may not necessarily be law enforcement officers, and appearing on the site is not evidence that someone was ever under investigation.
According to the website, the audit logs are constructed from FOIA public record requests from 6,586 different agencies across the US. However, they have warned that the data set is incomplete: “Few governments provide easy access to these logs, and the records we obtain are often redacted.”
For similar stories, check out our coverage of the YouTuber who built an anti-surveillance backpack, or the innocent man swarmed by police after an AI camera mistakenly reported his car as stolen.
