Flock cameras, the automatic license plate readers, continue to spark interest among Michigan residents — with many wondering if their information has been captured, and there is a way to find out.
Automated license plate readers (ALPRs) gather vehicle information such as make and model, color, license plate, a time stamp, direction of travel, speed, or other identifiable information like bumper stickers or roof racks. Cameras on poles are widely used by businesses or law enforcement to investigate crimes, and feed information into a nationwide searchable network. They have been viewed as an efficient way to fight crime, but privacy groups have also said they’re a violation of privacy and an opportunity for those using them to abuse their power.
Flock Safety, founded in 2017, is the largest manufacturer of license plate readers in the U.S. — hence the widely used nickname Flock cameras. Other vendors include Genetec and Motorola Solutions.
In an uproar over the use of Flock cameras, several open-source websites like Deflock and Eyes On Flock allow online users to see where ALPRs have been installed throughout the U.S.
Nationally, there have been 132,596 mapped as of Aug. 18, according to Deflock.
In Michigan, Deflock’s interactive map shows more than half of the state’s 83 counties have cameras. There are high concentrations across metro Detroit, Flint, Saginaw, Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, Lansing, Jackson, Grand Rapids, Muskegon, Holland and Traverse City.
Have I Been Flocked has become a popular website because it lets people type in their license plate to see if their information has been searched in the ALPR network.
Here’s how to see if you’ve been Flocked, and the Deflock interactive map:
Have I been Flocked? How to tell
Have I Been Flocked is a website with an online tool that allows users to search their license plate to see if it is in the automated license plate reader network. The data is pulled from “audit logs” which show whether or not a Flock customer (such as police or a business) has searched your license plate. The results do not show when your plate was captured.
“This website aggregates audit logs that have been released via open records (FOIA) requests. The dataset is incomplete; few governments provide easy access to these logs, and the records we obtain are often redacted,” the organization said.
The site is funded by donations from the Alternative Newsweekly Foundation, and the site does not save the license plate numbers you search.
Where are flock cameras in my neighborhood?
The volunteer-led organization DeFlock works to identify and document automated license plate readers across the nation with the help of public submissions. The interactive maps shows where Flock Safety ALPRs are located with a blue dot.
Numerous websites track ALPR data and share it via maps or in other ways, including:
- FlockHopper also maintains an interactive map of Flock Safety ALPRs.
- Eyes on Flock shares data on how many vehicles have been tracked and other information.
- Flock Camera Locations shares cameras across the nation.
- Flock Camera Safety Map is “The most comprehensive crowdsourced map of Flock Safety cameras and ALPR systems.”
- Deflock the USA provides similar information on cameras and locations.
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