Is This Facial Recognition?
The short version: Flock's own video insists its cameras don't do facial recognition, but that dodges the real issue: constant rear-plate tracking still builds detailed movement profiles on everyone.
Our Take
This one comes straight from Flock Safety's own channel, so don't mistake it for independent reporting — it's corporate messaging dressed up as reassurance. Yes, Flock's ALPR cameras photograph the rear of vehicles rather than faces, and no, that's not biometric facial recognition in the strict technical sense. But leaning on that narrow definition is a classic deflection: the camera doesn't need your face to know where you were, when, and how often, especially once that plate is tied back to your name, address, and registration through DMV records law enforcement can query.
The real surveillance concern was never just "can Flock see your face." It's that a single plate read, multiplied across thousands of cameras blanketing neighborhoods nationwide, lets police and whoever they share data with reconstruct months of someone's daily movements — church, clinic, protest, ex's house — without a warrant. Calling that "not facial recognition" is technically true and functionally beside the point.
Don't take Flock's word for how much coverage exists in your area — see it for yourself on our camera map, and if you want to push back on unchecked ALPR expansion in your city, check out our take-action resources.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of Flock, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.