FLOCK Cameras Are BAD NEWS For RIDERS
The short version: TopherWheels shows that Flock cameras don't need a readable plate to flag riders, since the system profiles bikes by type and color too — a reminder that ALPR surveillance is broader than its name suggests.
Our Take
Credit to TopherWheels for digging into something we talk about constantly: Flock's cameras were sold to the public as "license plate readers," but the underlying system is really a vehicle-fingerprinting network. As this video lays out, motorcycles, stunt bikes, and e-bikes often don't have the same plate visibility as cars — yet Flock's AI still logs them by make, model, color, and other identifying traits. The brand name undersells what the tech actually does.
That distinction matters because it exposes the sales pitch for what it is. Departments tell city councils this is narrow, plate-specific technology for solving crimes, while the reality is a growing database of vehicle movement patterns that doesn't require a clear plate at all. Riders who assume they're harder to track because their plates are smaller, angled, or obscured are learning the system was built to route around exactly that gap.
This is one more data point in a pattern: these networks keep expanding their reach quietly, with little public debate about who gets logged and why. If you want to see how dense this surveillance grid already is in your area, check our camera map, and if you'd rather do something about it than just read about it, our take-action page has concrete next steps.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of TopherWheels, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.