Cops Exposed By Their Own Spy Tool
The short version: A viral teardown shows Flock's ALPR search logs leaking into Google while officers misuse the same system to track exes, proving the surveillance machine polices itself worse than it polices crime.
Our Take
Credit to NewTechGuy for digging into something we've been saying for a while: these camera networks aren't just privacy risks because they exist, they're risks because the people running them keep proving they can't be trusted with the access they've been handed. A surveillance tool that's supposedly locked down for 'investigations' leaking search queries into Google results isn't a glitch, it's a preview of how little institutional discipline actually governs this technology once it's installed on a street corner near you.
The stalking cases are the part that should stop every city council member cold before they sign another Flock contract. We've heard the pitch a hundred times — this is for finding stolen cars and Amber Alerts — but the audit logs tell a different story, officers running plates on ex-partners, love interests, and people who did nothing but exist near a camera. There's no algorithm that filters out an abusive cop, and no vendor press release that undoes the damage once someone's location history has been pulled by a person with a badge and a grudge.
This is why we keep pushing people to know what's actually watching their block. Check our map to see if Flock or similar ALPR systems are already logging your plate, and if your city is considering a contract, head to our take-action page before the council vote happens without you in the room.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of NewTechGuy, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.