Flock Safety makes automatic license plate reader cameras that sit on poles and roadside fixtures, snapping photos of every car that passes and turning plate numbers, vehicle details, time, and location into searchable data for police and other “authorized” users. The company says its systems are now deployed in more than 5,000 communities across 49 states and scan 20 billion vehicles every month, with Flock tech now involved in roughly 10% of reported crime cases in the U.S. each year. Supporters frame it as a powerful crime-fighting network. At the same time, critics see a rapidly expanding, privately run surveillance grid that logs ordinary people’s movements by default and raises significant questions about privacy and who gets access.

Essay about Flock Cameras via Malwarebytes