Searching For Flock Cameras With ESP32 Detector Gadget
The short version: A DIY tinkerer field-tests an open-source ESP32 gadget that sniffs out Flock Safety cameras, putting grassroots detection tech within reach of ordinary people.
Our Take
Credit where it's due: saveitforparts is doing the unglamorous work of turning surveillance awareness into something you can actually build on a workbench. By testing yetisoldier's open-source "Flock-You" code on a cheap ESP32 board, this video shows that you don't need a corporate budget or a law degree to start pushing back against the quiet spread of ALPR networks in your neighborhood. That kind of DIY energy matters because Flock Safety has largely relied on communities not noticing or not caring that these cameras are logging their movements.
Hardware detectors like this one are still rough around the edges, and we're not going to pretend they're a silver bullet. But the broader signal here is important: independent developers are reverse-engineering and documenting how these systems broadcast and behave, which is exactly the kind of transparency Flock and its police partners rarely volunteer. Every open-source project like this chips away at the information asymmetry that lets mass ALPR surveillance expand unchecked.
If you want to know what's already watching your street, don't wait on a gadget — check our camera map to see documented Flock locations near you, and head to our take-action page for concrete steps to push your city council or sheriff's office toward accountability.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of saveitforparts, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.