Oneida, NY - You've Been Flocked

Flock Safety Camera Outside Lowe's in Oneida Raises Privacy Questions

Drivers traveling along the roadway in front of Lowe's in Oneida may notice a Flock Safety Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) camera mounted near the entrance. While positioned on or near the Lowe's property, the camera is aimed toward the public roadway, allowing it to capture images of vehicles traveling past the store—including many that never enter the parking lot. Flock cameras are designed to record license plates along with vehicle characteristics such as make, model, color, and other identifying features. (Flock Safety)

Unlike traditional surveillance cameras, ALPR systems automatically create searchable records of passing vehicles. According to Flock Safety, the technology is intended to help solve crimes, recover stolen vehicles, locate missing persons, and assist law enforcement investigations. The company says its cameras do not use facial recognition or issue speeding tickets. (Flock Safety)

A Growing Privacy Debate

Privacy advocates argue that cameras positioned to monitor public roads effectively collect information on thousands of innocent drivers every day, regardless of whether those drivers are suspected of any crime. Because the Oneida camera faces the roadway, it can document vehicles simply passing by Lowe's without ever stopping at the business.

Organizations such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation have argued that expanding ALPR networks can create a form of mass surveillance by compiling records of where people travel over time. They have also raised concerns about how data may be shared between agencies and whether existing oversight is sufficient. (Electronic Frontier Foundation)

Can You See If Your Plate Has Been Searched?

Some law enforcement agencies using Flock participate in public transparency initiatives that disclose policies, data retention periods, and aggregate statistics on searches through the Flock Transparency Portal. However, these portals generally do not allow individual drivers to determine whether their specific license plate has been searched or viewed by law enforcement. (Flock Safety)

Mapping Flock Cameras

Several independent, community-driven projects have emerged to help people identify ALPR camera locations:

• DeFlock is a crowdsourced map that catalogs known Flock and other ALPR camera locations across the United States. It also explains the privacy concerns associated with these systems. (DeFlock)

• AntiFlock is another community project that maps publicly identified ALPR cameras. (AntiFlock)

Because these maps rely on public submissions, they may not include every camera and can contain outdated information.

Whether Flock cameras represent a valuable public safety tool or an unnecessary intrusion into the privacy of everyday motorists remains the subject of ongoing debate. Supporters point to their role in solving crimes and locating stolen vehicles, while critics argue that recording the movements of large numbers of people who are not suspected of wrongdoing raises significant civil liberties concerns. (Flock Safety)