Been Flocked?
Automated license plate readers (ALPR) like Flock were sold as safety tools, and sometimes they function that way. Mostly, though, they provide a standing dragnet of surveillance any unethical person with access can misuse.
Hundreds of cases of abuse, from abusive officers stalking exes, to agencies illegally accessing data outside their jurisdiction to pursue immigration or abortion cases.
How to do it:
Learn about the growing list of known abuses, which is surely the tip of the iceberg, at the Institute for Justice’s Database of ALPR abuse. While Flock is the most widely recognized name in ALPRs, it’s important to note they are not the only (or hardest to spot) brand of this technology.
Then run your license through “Have I been Flocked?”, particularly if you have any risk factors: an ex-partner on the police force (or with ties to the police force), if you or a relative is an immigrant, if you are a reproductive-age woman in a state that has criminalized abortion, or simply if you’re curious.
If you’re alarmed by what you see, learn to fight back here.
