Category Archives: Automatic license plate readers

Volokh Conspiracy: How Should Flock Cameras Be Regulated Under the Fourth Amendment by Orin S. Kerr

Reason: Other Courts Should Heed a Federal Judge’s Warning About Flock-Enabled Mass Surveillance by Jacob Sullum (“Car-tracking cameras, like cellphones, generate vast amounts of sensitive data.”)

The Record: Oklahoma judge’s Flock ruling shows the power of Supreme Court’s digital evidence decision by Suzanne Smalley:

CNS: Colorado woman wrongfully cited for theft files class action against Flock by Amanda Pampuro (“Columbine Valley Police pursued theft charges against a Colorado woman based on footage captured on Flock cameras around her hometown.”). Too much reliance on surveillance … Continue reading →

WaPo: Florida county discovers mysterious Flock cameras with no obvious owner by Alex DeLuca (“Officials say they don’t know who installed the controversial cameras or how the data was being used. Residents are unnerved.”)

Jezebel: One Piece of Flock Camera Data Put This Innocent Woman in Jail for 13 Days by Jim Vorel (“Police didn’t care that Lindsey Isaacs’ car was the wrong color, and wasn’t damaged. They still arrested her because of Flock … Continue reading →

The Economist: Why licence-plate readers are angering Americans (“ALPRs are not new: local governments have long used them to collect tolls and enforce traffic laws. More recently, activists on the left protested against their use by federal immigration authorities. Donald … Continue reading →

Reason: Homeland Security Is Monitoring Activists Building Anti-Flock Tech by Daniel Boguslaw (“Department of Homeland Security (DHS) fusion centers have started monitoring anti-surveillance activists, according to records obtained by Reason. An intelligence report compiled in Massachusetts and redistributed by a … Continue reading →

Reason: Flock’s Gunfire Alerts Raise a New Fourth Amendment Question by Del Schlangen (“Gun owners should be paying attention to how police use gunfire microphones in conjunction with license plate cameras.”):

Defendant gets a hearing on whether Flock is “more like a security camera or CSLI data.” United States v. Thomas, 2026 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 204025 (N.D. Cal. Sep. 9, 2026):

NYT: Flock Announces Privacy Updates to Its Car-Tracking Cameras by Aruni Soni (“Critics say the measures are “public relations” and leave room for continued misuse.”):

NYT: The Surveillance Network Tracking Cars Across the U.S. (there are now 120,000 cameras).

Reason: Kansas Lawsuit: ALPRs Turn a License Plate Into the ‘Functional Equivalent’ of a ‘GPS Tracking Device’ by Jacob Sullum (“The Kansas Justice Institute argues that Wichita’s ‘warrantless ALPR dragnet surveillance program’ violates the state constitution’s privacy protections.”).

WaPo: How rogue officers turned a nationwide camera network into a tool for stalking by Drew Harwell, Douglas MacMillan and Aaron Schaffer (“Flock’s array of license-plate cameras was built to fight crime. But at least 50 law enforcement officers were … Continue reading →

There is no reasonable expectation of privacy against use of automated license plate readers or a traffic camera that caught plaintiff speeding. Hancock v. Duffey, 2026 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 162153 (M.D. Ga. July 22, 2026).* This one is on a … Continue reading →

404 Media: Flock: LAPD Regularly Pulled Over Innocent People Because License Plate Readers Flagged Their Cars As Stolen by Jason Koebler (“The Los Angeles Police Department let its Flock contract expire over the weekend in part because it was regularly … Continue reading →