DeFlock Where are the Cameras?

Our Take

Credit to ADHD-PRESS for hitting on something we harp on constantly: DeFlock is a tool, not a security blanket. The map is built by volunteers spotting cameras in the wild, which means coverage is only as good as the eyes looking for it. If you're relying on an app to tell you every pole-mounted reader on your route, you're going to miss plenty — new installs go up every week, and plenty of departments and private contractors aren't exactly advertising where they bolt these things on.

That's really the point of this whole project. Crowdsourcing works when people treat it as a living record, not a finished product. Learning what an ALPR actually looks like — the camera housing, the solar panel, the mounting height on a stop sign or utility pole — turns every driver into a potential contributor instead of a passive data consumer. Awareness isn't paranoia, it's just basic literacy about the hardware watching your plate, your location, and your patterns, often without a warrant.

If this video got you looking up at poles differently, keep going. Check our map for what's already documented near you, and if you spot something that's not listed, that's the whole system working as intended — add it. For ways to push back on this infrastructure beyond just spotting it, our take-action page has next steps.