MapQuest Now Shows Drivers Where Flock Cameras Are Watching

The new feature, available in Map Options, plots a network of cameras that photograph passing vehicles and convert their license plates into searchable data. Flock’s AI-powered cameras log details like make, model, color and even bumper stickers, and critics say the networked systems allow warrantless tracking of ordinary drivers.

A demo video showed a dense cluster of icons around Los Angeles’ Marina del Rey neighborhood, each paired with a red cone marking the direction a camera faces. MapQuest did not say where the location data comes from, but the feature puts a mainstream navigation brand squarely in the middle of the surveillance debate.

Growing backlash against automated license plate readers

The feature arrives amid a growing bipartisan backlash against the technology. Earlier this month, lawmakers, including Sen. Bernie Sanders, introduced the Ban Flock Act, which seeks to prohibit federal agencies from using the technology. In late August, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ordered state agencies to stop funding Flock cameras after the Texas Tribune found that a state agency had steered at least $30 million toward the network.

President Donald Trump, breaking his silence on the topic in mid-September, has praised the company’s cameras. The cameras have also become a cultural target, with a Grand Theft Auto mod letting players destroy Flock cameras in-game.

Drivers can now plan routes around cameras

Drivers who switch on MapQuest’s layer can try to plan routes around known cameras. The map only reflects devices that have been identified, and many destinations may be impossible to reach without passing one. Still, the feature provides a new tool for users concerned about automated tracking.