Can You Actually Opt Out of Flock Safety? Not Really

The video above asks a question a lot of people find themselves asking the first time they learn what Flock Safety cameras actually do: can I just opt out?

Why there’s no opt-out button

Automated license plate readers don’t work like a mailing list or a targeted ad network. They’re fixed cameras, usually mounted on poles at intersections or neighborhood entrances, that photograph and log every plate that passes—regardless of who’s driving, whether they’re suspected of anything, or whether they’d consent if asked. There’s no setting to toggle, no form to submit, no way to tell the system “don’t scan me.” If you drive on a public road covered by one of these cameras, your plate, and the time and location it was captured, becomes a data point.

Why that matters even if you’ve done nothing wrong

The appeal of ALPR networks is real: they can help recover stolen cars and locate vehicles tied to active investigations. But the same infrastructure that does that also builds a rolling record of where ordinary people go, when, and how often. That data is typically stored for a set retention period, can be shared across agencies and jurisdictions, and in some cases has been accessible to outside law enforcement partners well beyond the community that installed the cameras. Once a detailed movement history exists, it can be requested, subpoenaed, misused, or breached—regardless of the original intent behind installing the system.

What you actually can do

Since individual opt-out isn’t on the table, accountability has to happen at the policy level. That means knowing whether your city or neighborhood HOA has installed these cameras, asking who has access to the data, how long it’s retained, and whether there’s independent audit or oversight of searches. Local elected officials and city councils are usually the ones who approve these contracts, which makes public meetings one of the few real points of leverage residents have.

Our map tracks known ALPR camera locations so you can see what’s already been deployed near you, and our learn page breaks down how these systems collect and share data in more depth. If you want to push back on a deployment in your area, our take action page has practical steps for raising the issue with local decision-makers.

The honest answer to “can you opt out” is no—not as an individual. But communities that ask hard questions before cameras go up, and keep asking after, have real influence over how this technology gets used.