Privacy firm Proton has published a new Flock map
The project details over 200,000 Flock cameras around the world
It’s based on work by security researcher Joshua Michael
Flock’s automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras have barely been out of the news lately, from being used and abused to track innocent people to allegedly encouraging stalking and police overreach . If you’re worried about running into them, privacy-focused firm Proton has published a Flock map that details the location of every one of these cameras in the United States and further afield. The map is based on data collected and compiled by security researcher Joshua Michael , who discovered that Flock was leaking the locations of its own cameras through its servers. Flock has attempted to have Michael’s research website taken down, but as of right now, both it and the Proton map are still available. Proton’s Flock map updates with the number of Flock devices visible in the website’s viewport. Zooming out to show the entire globe returns 214,073 cameras in active use, with 213,712 of those being used in the United States and Canada. You can enter your zip code to find nearby cameras, or filter the results by Flock devices that are currently in service, those that are planned, devices that have been decommissioned, and those with unknown status. Results can also be filtered by US state and whether they can read license plates or allow users to find people by entering freeform search terms. If you click on a camera result on the map, Proton shows you the device’s location with exact longitudinal and latitudinal coordinates, plus the date that it was entered into the dataset…