633
Flock Leaked Cops’ License Plate Searches via DuckDuckGo, Bing (www.404media.co)
submitted 3 days ago by FundMECFS@piefed.zip to c/technology@lemmy.world
41 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Flock, the automatic license plate reader (ALPR) company, exposed some of the license plate cops were looking for and the reason for doing so.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[-] Dojan@pawb.social 112 points 3 days ago

They're little computers with cameras that capture everything. I think some of these types of devices run Android. Many are very poorly secured, like the article suggests. A "license plate reader" sounds like it only reads license plates, these are surveillance platforms, with cameras and microphones. They can be accessed remotely to do more than just read a license plate.

I'm thinking the person says that couching it as a license plate reader is disingenuous, because it doesn't really convey the gravity of what the devices are capable of.

[-] greyscale@lemmy.grey.ooo 31 points 3 days ago

They're Android. And they're hella insecure. And hilariously jankilly implemented. I'd be ashamed if this was my states state surveillance infrastructure.

Related videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pp9MwZkHiMQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uB0gr7Fh6lY

[-] extremeboredom@lemmy.world 17 points 3 days ago

Yes, ALPR is a term used for the purpose of public relations. It does not accurately describe the technology.

[-] deadcream@sopuli.xyz 4 points 3 days ago

Any "license plate reader" has a camera and can be used for anything. This was true before flock.

[-] EldritchFeminity 16 points 3 days ago

I didn't know "any license plate reader" also scanned your phone as you went by and added your dog to their database to better identify you as an individual.

They don’t just read license plates. They analyze faces/pets/distinctive clothing to ID people, scan nearby WiFi and Bluetooth signals to track devices, scan distinctive features of vehicles (dents, scratches, bumper stickers, etc) to track them even without a clear license plate, etc… Calling it a license plate reader vastly downplays their capabilities.

It’s like someone calling a fully automatic high-powered machine gun “a rabbit-hunting gun”. Sure it could be used to shoot rabbits, but that’s vastly understating the capabilities.

this post was submitted on 21 Jun 2026
633 points (100.0% liked)

Technology

85699 readers
3627 users here now

This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.

Our Rules

  1. Follow the lemmy.world rules.
  2. Only tech related news or articles.
  3. Be excellent to each other!
  4. Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
  5. Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
  6. Politics threads may be removed.
  7. No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
  8. Only approved bots from the list below, this includes using AI responses and summaries. To ask if your bot can be added please contact a mod.
  9. Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed
  10. Accounts 7 days and younger will have their posts automatically removed.

Approved Bots

founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS
L3s@lemmy.world
enu@lemmy.world
technopagan@lemmy.world
L4s@lemmy.world
L3s@hackingne.ws