r/FlockSurveillance Apr 28 '26

Privacy I built FlockHopper for iOS — an app that routes you around known ALPR cameras

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3.7k Upvotes

Hi everyone! Some of y'all might already know my web app FlockHopper that shows you how many Flock cameras are tracking you on your daily commute.

After getting some solid feedback on the web app, I went all in on building a full mobile routing app for daily driving.

iOS is available here:

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/flockhopper/id6762170253

THE APP

- Real-time turn-by-turn navigation that shows you cameras as you drive

- Choose between a normal route and a private route. Both show you miles & estimated time so you can decide what's worth it

- Search for places using native Apple Maps data

- Explore mode : camera data refreshes daily and the map pans with your location so you can spot Flock cameras as you pass them

COST

The basic app will always be free. The free version is funded by donations and in-app tips. Donations cover development, server costs, and possible future legal fees. There may be a premium version with more advanced features down the road, but the core app as it exists now stays free.

ANDROID

The Android version is about 60% done. If you want to get notified when beta testing starts or when it's available on Google Play you can join the waitlist here: dontgetflocked.com/android

PRIVACY

FlockHopper is built with privacy as the default. Your location is used only to show your position, provide navigation, and calculate routes. Route coordinates are sent to a self-hosted routing engine for off-device route calculation, but they are not logged or stored.

Map tiles and camera data are self-hosted, and camera data is served through Cloudflare. Place search uses Apple’s native Maps search. FlockHopper does not store route history, searches, location logs, device IDs, or user profiles.

Feedback and bug reports are very welcome. Thanks for checking it out!


r/FlockSurveillance Mar 04 '26

I spoke at my city council about Flock. The mayor and deputy chief both asked for follow-ups. I redacted everything and made it a toolkit — free to use.

3.5k Upvotes

UPDATE: The toolkit made the front page of my local newspaper. I took these documents to my city council meeting and the paper ran camera concerns as their lead story. Showing up with actual data works. Your city council will listen if you bring receipts.

Last week I went to my city council meeting and spoke during public comment about the Flock ALPR camera expansion. Three minutes, sourced facts, no outrage. I handed a packet to every council member, the city attorney, and the police chief.

After I sat down, the mayor came down from the dais, handed me his card, and asked me to send him more. The deputy chief who runs the Flock program pulled me aside and talked for 15 minutes — then asked me to email him a briefing too.

None of that happened because I was loud. It happened because the research was solid and the tone was right.

I've scrubbed all identifying information — my name, city, officials, dates, addresses, agenda items — and packaged everything into a toolkit anyone can adapt:

https://codeberg.org/deflock_your_city/flock-alpr-toolkit (less reliable so I created the github repo)

https://github.com/DeflockYourCity/flock-alpr-toolkit

What's in it:

- Council handout — the main document I gave every council member (platform capabilities, documented incidents, security findings, legal landscape, 8 governance asks)

- 3-minute talk track — timed, scripted, with "if challenged" responses to common pushback

- Legal analysis — Fourth Amendment / Carpenter, state wiretap law, licensing issues, active lawsuits, proposed legislation

- Mayor follow-up briefing — what I sent when executive leadership asked for more

- Deputy chief briefing — a respectful, technical document that addresses the "30-day retention" and "only plates" talking points head-on

- Print & logistics guide — what to print, how many copies, who gets what, when to arrive

- Deep research reports — the raw research behind everything

- Rhetorical strategy guide — founding-era framing, bipartisan angles, and why this is a ratchet, not a slippery slope

The approach that worked:

- Lead with governance, not opposition

- "I support effective policing — my concern is the vendor"

- Every claim sourced from government audits, court filings, NVD, patent filings, or named reporting

- Pair every concern with a specific ask

- No anonymous sources. No speculation.

All docs are .docx format — download, replace [REDACTED] with your city's specifics, and go. Hosted on Codeberg (privacy-focused, open-source platform — not GitHub).

This came out of https://www.reddit.com/r/FlockSurveillance/comments/1rjsaoz/lobbying_against_flock/ where a few people asked me to share what I used. Hope it helps.

CC BY-SA 4.0 — use it however you want.

EDIT: adding .md and pdf versions as well as soon as codeberg comes back online

EDIT 2: added GitHub Repo


r/FlockSurveillance 3h ago

News Tonight, July 21, another packed Grayslake board meeting had residents and allies from across Lake County demanding action be taken to stop the T5 hyperscale data center.

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800 Upvotes

r/FlockSurveillance 15h ago

Intelligence They are hiding mobile Flock Cameras now

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7.0k Upvotes

r/FlockSurveillance 8h ago

This is in front of a park. This is not for safety. This is to track you. Broomfield, CO do better

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1.7k Upvotes

r/FlockSurveillance 6h ago

News After an officer stalked and harassed multiple people, council "trusts the PD 100%" before voting 6-1 to keep Flock

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758 Upvotes

Last night, the City of Costa Mesa, California, discussed whether it should keep its contract with Flock, after Costa Mesa police officer Robert Jay Josett was caught making unauthorized queries in CLETS and Flock, targeting his wife, his mistress, and his mistress’s other romantic interests.

Residents provided five hours of testimony in opposition to Flock. Costa Mesa city council voted 6-1 to keep the contract.

More at https://footnote4a.org/news/costa-mesa-regime


r/FlockSurveillance 6h ago

News During Flock discussion, councilmember cold calls city attorney; receives crash course in 4A law

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809 Upvotes

Last night, the City of Costa Mesa, California, discussed whether it should keep its contract with Flock, after Costa Mesa police officer Robert Jay Josett was caught making unauthorized queries in CLETS and Flock, targeting his wife, his mistress, and his mistress’s other romantic interests.

Residents provided five hours of testimony in opposition to Flock. Costa Mesa city council voted 6-1 to keep the contract.

More at https://footnote4a.org/news/costa-mesa-regime


r/FlockSurveillance 18h ago

Inquiry Could something like this help in the battle against flock cameras?

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3.9k Upvotes

I know the flock cameras aren't using flash photography, but could something like this help to prevent the cameras from being able to read license plates? In my head a small strip around the plate might be enough? Apologies if this is an ignorant question.


r/FlockSurveillance 13h ago

Activism I talked to FLOCK installation crew……

1.0k Upvotes

I was in Detroit and saw 2 idiots putting up a new camera. I asked them if they were with a company and they told me they were with the Detroit Police Department. But both of them had Motorola shirts on so I have to believe that it’s Motorola putting them up. I should’ve asked the man if he was a police officer or not. In this part of town….that pole won’t last. Linwood and finkell. Don’t buy Motorola products and call that company and let them know they are culprits in this unlawful disaster


r/FlockSurveillance 4h ago

Discussion Flock in a Park

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175 Upvotes

Small park. Big infrastructure.
During this field observation, we documented three separate AI video camera deployments within a relatively compact public park: two fixed Condor cameras covering different areas and one Condor PTZ overlooking the amphitheater.

One detail that stood out was a hardwired installation…something we don’t encounter as often compared to solar-powered deployments.

Every location is different, and we’re not drawing conclusions about why a particular configuration was chosen. Our goal is simply to document what’s publicly visible, compare it with publicly available product information, and better understand how modern public infrastructure is evolving.


r/FlockSurveillance 8h ago

Inquiry Flock camera installed in front of my house?

314 Upvotes

One of my friends came over yesterday and noticed that there was a flock camera installed across the street. I somehow managed to miss all of the news about flock cameras, so I hadn’t noticed it before. Or maybe I had, and I just assumed it was a traffic cam used for monitoring speed. Imagine my surprise when my friend explained what it actually is, and that it is essentially pointed directly at the house I currently rent and live in.

I guess my question is, what do I do? I can’t help but feel like this is an enormous invasion of my privacy. It feels like my literal every move is being recorded by a private company. I like having my blinds open because I love natural light, but I don’t even feel comfortable doing that anymore. Am I overreacting, or is this super invasive? Is there anything I can do to get rid of it, or to help me maintain some semblance of privacy?

Thanks in advance.

TLDR: there’s a flock camera across the street pointed at my house, what should I do?


r/FlockSurveillance 18h ago

News Good lord.

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1.6k Upvotes

r/FlockSurveillance 12h ago

Discussion Flock is evolving

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425 Upvotes

Most people still think these deployments are “just license plate readers.” Public product documentation tells a much bigger story.

Today’s platform can include ALPR, fixed AI video, PTZ cameras, and optional gunshot detection…working together as part of a broader ecosystem. Every deployment is different, but understanding the architecture helps separate assumptions from documented capability.

This video compares what we’ve observed in the field with Flock’s publicly available product information.


r/FlockSurveillance 13h ago

someone took down one of them surveillance cameras up in Cedar Park 😱

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537 Upvotes

r/FlockSurveillance 7h ago

Activism Bring the protest to the hometown, they should feel as safe as they’re trying to make us feel.

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164 Upvotes

r/FlockSurveillance 17h ago

Flock ‘Objects to Our Removing Their Equipment’: Emails Reveal Why a Town Put Bags Over Its Flock Cameras

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1.0k Upvotes

r/FlockSurveillance 6h ago

News Flock Cameras Keep Getting Smashed, So Now They’re Hiding Inside Speed Signs

104 Upvotes

r/FlockSurveillance 17h ago

Flock cameras are popping up all over the place, and the response has not been a positive one. People are now cutting them down and vandalism is abound.

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737 Upvotes

r/FlockSurveillance 1d ago

Privacy Public Officials Should Be Watched. Private Citizens Should Be Left Alone

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3.5k Upvotes

r/FlockSurveillance 1d ago

News Good lord.

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1.8k Upvotes

r/FlockSurveillance 1h ago

Activism Remove surveillance cameras from our roadways across the us

Upvotes

https://c.org/PfBMRYbFWK

Hello please sign this petition to remove surveillance cameras across the US. So we can keep our privacy. Also please share this with other communities if you can the more support the better.

Thank you


r/FlockSurveillance 13h ago

Legal My FOIA request was denied

232 Upvotes

I recently submitted a FOIA request to my city for all vehicle tracking data collected on my car license plate. Just received a denial of my request from their legal representation.


r/FlockSurveillance 10h ago

Someone posted this chinese protesters using techniques to save from police. Morern country modern measures😂😂

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130 Upvotes

r/FlockSurveillance 11h ago

“We have cameras everywhere in that town. You can’t get a breath of fresh air without us knowing.” Again. The Flock way.

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160 Upvotes

r/FlockSurveillance 8h ago

Activism Just rolled up to the city council meeting!

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86 Upvotes

Wish me luck!