Flock cameras scan up 20 billion plates a month. Tell me again how this isn’t a nationwide tracking system.
Answer the questions @glangley 🤌 pic.twitter.com/oeqWHrnBic
— Jason Bassler (@JasonBassler1) July 7, 2026
I think a lot of people still believe these cameras just catch stolen cars.
That’s only part of the story.
Flock Safety has built one of the biggest license plate recognition networks in the country.
Its cameras automatically scan license plates, record the time and location, and make that information available to law enforcement for investigations and alerts.
The company says it’s helping solve crimes.
Privacy advocates see something very different.
A growing system that can build a record of where ordinary people drive without anyone ever being suspected of a crime.
The number that caught my attention is the scale.
Reports put the network at around 20 billion license plate scans every month.
Even if you’re never pulled over, your car can still become another data point every time it passes one of these cameras.
That’s the part people don’t usually think about.
You don’t need someone following your car anymore.
The network does it automatically.
The bigger question isn’t whether this technology catches criminals.
It’s how much location data a private company should collect, how long it’s stored, who can access it, and where the line is before routine driving becomes permanent surveillance.
Once a network like this covers enough roads, it becomes very difficult to roll back.
Flock Safety site: https://www.flocksafety.com/