Website lets drivers check if their plates appear in Flock camera searches
The HaveIBeenFlocked.com tool uses public audit logs to show whether a license plate has been queried in Flock Safety's automated license-plate reader system, though the data is not real-time and may be incomplete.
A new online tool allows motorists to determine if their license plates have been searched in Flock Safety's nationwide network of automated license-plate readers. Users can enter a plate number on HaveIBeenFlocked.com, which draws on audit logs of searches made public through government transparency portals. The database currently contains more than 4.6 million plate records linked to roughly 242 million Flock searches.
The site, funded by the nonprofit Alternative Newsweekly Foundation, states that it does not retain the numbers entered and discards the data after the lookup. It also warns that the service is not a real-time monitor; there may be delays of months or years before a search appears in the database, and the logs may be incomplete or redacted.
Flock Safety, whose cameras capture license plates, vehicle make and color, provides the information to customers that include police agencies, schools and businesses. Law-enforcement officials say the system aids investigations, but recent reports have highlighted alleged misuse by some officers. In response, Flock founder and CEO Garrett Langley said the company is implementing safeguards and clarified that it does not track cell phones or use facial-recognition technology.
Similar initiatives, such as the DeFlock map, also aim to increase transparency about the locations of Flock's cameras.