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The digital resistance map is designed to save citizens from tracking movements.
A resident of the United States, Will Freeman, noticed a suspiciously large number of cameras on the roads of the southern states, which hang on poles with solar panels. A closer look revealed that these cameras are automatic license plate readers (ALPR) installed by Flock for the police.
Flock is one of the largest suppliers of automatic license plate readers in the United States, aiming to "completely eradicate crime" with such technologies. However, experts consider such goals unachievable.
Freeman noticed that in the city of Huntsville, Flock cameras are placed in a circle at major intersections, forming a ring of surveillance for cars entering and exiting the city center. He soon discovered cameras not only from Flock, but also from other manufacturers such as Motorola and its subsidiary Avigilon. The systems connect to other surveillance networks and allow you to track the movement of people throughout the country.
In a few days, Freeman counted dozens of such cameras and decided to create a database with their location. This is how the DeFlock project was born, based on the Open Street Map platform. Freeman began publishing maps with ALPR cameras, as well as posting announcements about his project on camera poles in Huntsville.
The initiative was supported by Reddit users from this city, as well as residents of other regions. As a result, not only Flock cameras were added to the map, but also devices from other manufacturers from around the world.
Freeman's goal is to educate people about ubiquitous video surveillance and encourage the public to discuss and take possible actions to control such systems. Ideally, Freeman would like to see the cameras dismantled or at least under strict control.
At the time of the first interview with Freeman, his map covered several dozen cameras in Huntsville and a few in Southern California and the Seattle area. A week after the launch of DeFlock, the number of tagged cameras has grown to several thousand in all cities in the United States and other countries. The project has now collected data on more than 1,700 cameras in the U.S. and more than 5,600 worldwide. For example, Colton, a small city in California with a population of about 50,000 people, has 677 such cameras.
The project also tracks cities and counties that publish transparency reports on the use of ALPR on the Flock website. In addition, DeFlock allows you to specify the direction of the cameras' "vision". This helps to understand how devices are used and what strategies companies and police are employing. In particular, in the center of Huntsville, all cameras are focused on the entrances to the city, which allows you to record incoming cars.
Freeman hopes that in the future, the project will be able to provide routes that allow drivers to avoid areas with ALPR cameras, which is especially relevant in light of a lawsuit in Virginia that is challenging Flock's right to install such devices. According to Freeman, knowing the location of cameras is the first step to protecting your privacy.
Source
A resident of the United States, Will Freeman, noticed a suspiciously large number of cameras on the roads of the southern states, which hang on poles with solar panels. A closer look revealed that these cameras are automatic license plate readers (ALPR) installed by Flock for the police.
Flock is one of the largest suppliers of automatic license plate readers in the United States, aiming to "completely eradicate crime" with such technologies. However, experts consider such goals unachievable.
Freeman noticed that in the city of Huntsville, Flock cameras are placed in a circle at major intersections, forming a ring of surveillance for cars entering and exiting the city center. He soon discovered cameras not only from Flock, but also from other manufacturers such as Motorola and its subsidiary Avigilon. The systems connect to other surveillance networks and allow you to track the movement of people throughout the country.
In a few days, Freeman counted dozens of such cameras and decided to create a database with their location. This is how the DeFlock project was born, based on the Open Street Map platform. Freeman began publishing maps with ALPR cameras, as well as posting announcements about his project on camera poles in Huntsville.
The initiative was supported by Reddit users from this city, as well as residents of other regions. As a result, not only Flock cameras were added to the map, but also devices from other manufacturers from around the world.
Freeman's goal is to educate people about ubiquitous video surveillance and encourage the public to discuss and take possible actions to control such systems. Ideally, Freeman would like to see the cameras dismantled or at least under strict control.
At the time of the first interview with Freeman, his map covered several dozen cameras in Huntsville and a few in Southern California and the Seattle area. A week after the launch of DeFlock, the number of tagged cameras has grown to several thousand in all cities in the United States and other countries. The project has now collected data on more than 1,700 cameras in the U.S. and more than 5,600 worldwide. For example, Colton, a small city in California with a population of about 50,000 people, has 677 such cameras.
The project also tracks cities and counties that publish transparency reports on the use of ALPR on the Flock website. In addition, DeFlock allows you to specify the direction of the cameras' "vision". This helps to understand how devices are used and what strategies companies and police are employing. In particular, in the center of Huntsville, all cameras are focused on the entrances to the city, which allows you to record incoming cars.
Freeman hopes that in the future, the project will be able to provide routes that allow drivers to avoid areas with ALPR cameras, which is especially relevant in light of a lawsuit in Virginia that is challenging Flock's right to install such devices. According to Freeman, knowing the location of cameras is the first step to protecting your privacy.
Source
