- Flock backlash is growing and city officials have begun covering ALPR cameras with trash bags.
- Some cameras are even being vandalized
- A handful of Flock cameras have been spotted inside speed signs, out of sight of drivers.
The recent backlash against security company Flock highlights serious privacy concerns about its automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) systems, and local authorities are taking matters into their own hands.
In a 404media article, city officials in Verona, Wisconsin have been protesting Flock’s ubiquitous surveillance cameras by covering them with black bags. The move follows a council vote to remove three cameras from the area, which Flock refused to remove according to recently exchanged emails.
“We reviewed the contract, we talked about it with the staff and what we felt most comfortable with was just covering them up so they could stop spying on people… I’m 100% sure they were still working,” said Luke Diaz, mayor of Verona.
But for some residents, covering Flock’s ALPR systems with trash bags simply isn’t enough to give them peace of mind: Some are going the extra mile by smashing Flock’s surveillance cameras, according to an article shared on Reddit.
Just yesterday (July 22), Flock decided to abandon its plans to roll out its “human distress detection” feature beyond the trial period. This tool used Flock’s urban acoustic microphones to detect sounds such as human screams and would then alert local police, allowing them to quickly arrive at the scene of the incident.
Although these detectors are still in place, they can no longer detect human activity and instead listen for sounds such as gunshots or car accidents. For those who have actively campaigned against this, it’s a big victory, but microphones left in place continue to raise widespread concerns regarding civil privacy, even though Flock says these systems cannot understand or analyze speech.
The people against the flock
Since Flock’s ALPR systems became a means of public surveillance, the technology company has faced waves of backlash to the point that the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has launched campaigns against such systems, claiming that Flock is “quietly trying to build a nationwide mass surveillance system.”
Public concern has become so heated that some local authorities are taking the brakes on introducing Flock cameras in certain areas. The LAPD is one of the most recent police departments to act on the matter and has made the decision not to renew its contract with the technology company.
However, there are countless cities in the US that still have these systems and not only is the number increasing, but the technology is getting smarter. ALPR systems not only capture your license plate, but are designed to identify the make and model of your vehicle, as well as its color and items such as dings, scratches, and accessories such as bumper stickers.
As a result of the rapid advancement of technology, drivers have been looking for ways to avoid areas where these systems are installed: the DeFlock website allows you to plan routes that actively avoid Flock cameras. Naturally, some local authorities are camouflaging their Flock ALPR systems to prevent vandalism.
Now they are hiding the Flock cameras, a secret compartment was found in the speed radar box pic.twitter.com/4kkeRsKufiJuly 22, 2026
In a video shared with “Someone did custom metal fabrication,” they say.
Pretty clever tactic, right? It doesn’t end there and, according to responses on Reddit, these systems are not only hidden within speed signs. One user claims that ALPR systems are hidden in fake cacti in some parts of Arizona, making it difficult for tools like DeFlock to list camera locations.
It’s getting harder and harder to avoid the watchful eye of Flock’s ALPR cameras, but it looks like residents will stop at nothing to find ways to combat the rise of these countermeasures.
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