DeFlock The USA is an independent, for-profit awareness brand fighting the quiet spread of automated license plate readers — the cameras that log where you drive, when, and how often, with no warrant and usually no vote.
Why we exist
The cameras showed up on our streets the way most surveillance does: quietly. No debate, no ballot, often no written policy — just a purchase order and a new pole on the corner. By the time most people notice, an entire town is being scanned. We started DeFlock The USA to make that impossible to ignore.
We are loud on purpose. We put the issue on shirts, posters, and yard signs because a conversation on a street corner reaches people a policy paper never will. Every design is meant to make someone ask, “wait — is that happening here?”
What we do
- Explain the tech in plain language — see Learn.
- Track the news as ALPR systems expand, in our Surveillance Newswire.
- Point you to the best tools across the movement in our Tools & Resources hub.
- Help you act locally — records requests, council meetings, and more in Take Action.
- Fund all of it through the shop, so none of the above hides behind a paywall.
Where the money goes
We are a business, not a charity, and we say so plainly. Buying a shirt is not a tax-deductible donation. What your order actually pays for: hosting and building this site, aggregating the news, maintaining the tools, keeping the camera map free to use, and the hours it takes to run a small independent operation. What it does not pay for: ads that track you, outside investors, or selling your data. We take none of those.
Our relationship to DeFlock
The camera map we host is powered by the open-source, volunteer-run DeFlock project. They built the mapping data; we think it’s some of the most important work in this space, and we send people their way constantly. We are fans and allies — but we are a separate, independent brand and are not formally affiliated with, or endorsed by, them. Supporting us is not the same as supporting them, and we encourage you to do both.
By the watched, for the watched
That’s not a slogan we bought — it’s the whole idea. The people being tracked should be the loudest voices in the room. If that’s you, you’re already part of this.
Questions before you dig in?
Start with the FAQ, or just look up what’s watching your own street.