Pushback over privacy: Automated license plate readers
The short version: WBAL-TV's Marshall Keely digs into Maryland agencies' quiet embrace of license plate readers, and the public pushback is a reminder that surveillance creep rarely waits for consent.
Our Take
Credit to Marshall Keely and the WBAL-TV 11 News Investigates team for doing what local newsrooms do best: asking why a government agency is spending public money on a surveillance tool that nobody asked for and few understand. That's the pattern we see over and over — a city council or sheriff's office signs a contract, cameras go up on poles and intersections, and residents find out only when a reporter starts pulling records.
The "pushback" in the headline matters more than it might seem. ALPR networks like Flock Safety's aren't just traffic cameras — they log every passing vehicle, build travel histories, and often share that data across jurisdictions with little oversight on who can query it or why. Maryland isn't unique here; it's the same playbook rolling out county by county across the country, usually sold as a tool against car theft while quietly becoming a tool for tracking anyone who drives.
If you're in Maryland or anywhere else, don't wait for your local news to find the cameras near you — check our map to see what's already been deployed in your area, and if you want to push back the way these residents are, our take-action guide has the steps for getting answers from your local officials.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of WBAL-TV 11 Baltimore, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.