Flock Detection With The OUI Spy by Colonel Panic #deflock #esp32
The short version: Valleytech Custom Solutions demos the OUI Spy, an ESP32-based gadget by Colonel Panic that sniffs out nearby Flock Safety ALPR hardware over wireless signals.
Our Take
DIY detection tools like the OUI Spy are exactly the kind of grassroots pushback we like to see. Instead of waiting for cities to disclose camera locations or for Flock to voluntarily explain its network footprint, hobbyists are building cheap ESP32 rigs that listen for the wireless fingerprints these cameras give off. Credit to Colonel Panic for the build and to Valleytech Custom Solutions for putting it on video — this is the kind of practical, reproducible work that turns abstract privacy concerns into something you can hold in your hand.
The bigger point isn't the gadget itself, it's what it represents: ALPR networks were deployed quietly, often without meaningful public notice, and now ordinary people are having to reverse-engineer their own surveillance environment just to know it's there. That's backwards. A device that can flag a Flock unit on a pole is useful, but it shouldn't be necessary just to find out your daily commute is being logged and stored.
If you want to see what's already been mapped in your area, check our camera map, and if you'd rather push for transparency and policy change than build your own detector, our take-action page has concrete next steps.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of Valleytech Custom Solutions, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.