The next time you go for a drive, you might want to look up. The company that put thousands upon thousands of automated license plate readers in communities all over America is now putting them in the sky. Flock Alpha drones can travel at speeds of up to 60 miles per hour, and they can read license plates from 2,000 feet away. These drones are being marketed as “first responders”, and they have the potential to be far more intrusive than automated license plate readers that are simply mounted on the side of the road.
Of course Flock automated license plate readers don’t just read license plates.
According to DeFlock, these highly sophisticated surveillance devices are actually “AI-powered cameras that capture and analyze images of all passing vehicles, storing details like your car’s location, date, and time”…
DeFlock, a national organization, says automated license plate readers (ALPRs or LPRs) are “AI-powered cameras that capture and analyze images of all passing vehicles, storing details like your car’s location, date, and time” and collect the data (which includes identifying details like dents or bumper stickers) “regardless or whether the driver is suspected of a crime.”
In addition, Flock cameras also make a record of the exact make, model, color and body type of your vehicle.
If your vehicle has any aftermarket modifications, roof racks, bumper stickers, decals or visible body damage all of that is recorded too.
Are you starting to understand why so many people consider these cameras to be extremely intrusive?
According to CNN, there are more than 120,000 Flock cameras actively operating in the United States right now.
All of the information that they collect is entered into a searchable national database that has so much potential to be abused.
And now Flock cameras will be flying around in the skies above our heads…
The company behind one of the nation’s largest roadway surveillance camera networks has expanded its technology into the skies.
Flock Safety’s Automated License Plate Readers (ALPR), which have built a massive, interconnected surveillance net across American roadways, have officially taken their technology airborne, according to a MotorBiscuit report.
Flock has partnered with an aviation software company to create a flying drone that is being marketed as a “first responder”…
After partnering with aviation software company Aerodome, Flock launched its “Drone as First Responder” (DFR) platform, expanding its surveillance network beyond fixed cameras.
Its autonomous Flock Alpha drone can launch from a weatherproof docking station in response to 911 calls, gunshot detection alerts or ALPR hits.
Officers can deploy the drone from a smartphone, and it can fly up to 60 mph, often arriving before patrol vehicles.
In addition to being able to fly at speeds of up to 60 mph, these drones will also be able to read license plates from 2,000 feet away…
Alpha reads license plates from up to 2,000 feet away. Thermal and low-light optics remove guesswork.
Let me try to put that into perspective.
There are 5,280 feet in a mile.
So these drones will be able to watch you from almost half a mile away.
And sometimes these cameras make enormous mistakes.
For example, a prominent automotive journalist was recently pulled over by police after a Flock camera “mistakenly flagged the license plate of his vehicle as stolen”…
An automotive journalist is sharing his pulse-pounding story of being boxed in and temporarily detained by police in Minnesota after Flock cameras mistakenly flagged the license plate of his vehicle as stolen.
Joel Feder, director of content and product for The Drive, says the now-viral tale ultimately can be traced to human error. But he said the mix-up demonstrates why improvements are needed as police departments partner with Flock and its private network of AI-powered license plate readers.
“They need better guardrails,” Feder told “NewsNation Prime” on Saturday.
To say that they need better guardrails is a massive understatement.
In communities where these surveillance devices are installed, there is essentially no privacy on the roads at all.
A Flock camera could potentially flag you or your vehicle for any reason at all, and you could end up in a very uncomfortable encounter with the authorities as a result.
Of course sometimes these cameras are misused on purpose.
Flock Drones Next? City Approves Three-Year Contract For New Technology
Flock Safety has caused much controversy across the United States with its automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras.
Despite privacy, tracking, and data sharing concerns, some local municipalities are acquiring additional Flock technology.
Newport just became the second city in Rhode Island to approve the purchase of Flock Safety First Responder Drones.
The Newport City Council voted unanimously to approve a three-year, $375,000 contract with Flock Group Inc. for a pilot drone program.
Watch a video demonstration below showing Flock’s drone technology:
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