MapQuest now shows Flock camera locations on your route
The roads have eyes.
Screenshot from MapQuest account on BlueSky via Cybernews
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- MapQuest’s Surveillance Layer shows known automatic license plate readers from Flock Safety and other companies.
- The feature helps drivers plan routes that reduce exposure to roadside surveillance cameras.
- Flock Safety runs about 120,000 plate-reading cameras across 49 states.
- Privacy concerns have grown after alleged police misuse, public opposition, and canceled city contracts.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
An online mapping service has unveiled its Surveillance Layer, which allows users to plan their trips without being “flocked.”
MapQuest announced the new feature on October 16th, 2026, that allows users to see known automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) from Flock Safety and other companies, including Axon, Axis Communications, and Motorola Solutions (Vigilant), among others.
“The Roads Have Eyes!” the company’s post on BlueSky reads.
The Roads Have Eyes! 👁️ Turn on the Surveillance Layer in Map Options to see known license plate readers from Flock Safety, Motorola Solutions (Vigilant), Genetec, Axis Communications, Axon, Leonardo (ELSAG), Neology, Rekor, PlateSmart, Ubicquia, Verkada, and other outdoor surveillance cameras.
undefined MapQuest (@mapquest.com) 16 October 2026 at 01:49
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The Surveillance Layer comes as Flock Safety, the company that operates a network of approximately 120,000 ALPR cameras across 49 states, faces growing backlash from privacy advocates and citizens.
Flock cameras capture not only plate numbers but also the model, color, and details as small as bumper stickers on every passing car. This creates a vast web of data that law enforcement can access to conduct searches without a warrant.
By adding the new feature, MyQuest joins the growing list of platforms and websites that help avoid getting captured by ALPR cameras.
Open-source, volunteer-based project DeFlock, for example, maps known Flock Safety and other ALPR cameras across the US and allows users to plan routes that reduce exposure to surveillance networks.
“Compromising privacy over safety”
Flock Safely addressed some privacy concerns by reducing its default data retention period from 30 to 7 days. However, the company’s CEO, Garrett Langley, called for compromising privacy over safety, prompting his house to be doxxed on X.
Growing reports of law enforcement abusing the Flock system aren’t helping to convince Americans to make privacy concessions either.
The Washington Post reported in August 2026 that at least 50 officers in the US were accused of or charged with misusing license-plate reader systems, primarily Flock, to stalk women they know personally.
Nearly half of Americans (47%) say they oppose the use of Flock cameras, compared with 38% who support them, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in September.
Heightened scrutiny and rising vandalism cases have led US cities to cancel contracts with Flock Security at an unprecedented rate.
Data from Secure Justice, a Bay Area anti-surveillance advocacy group, suggests that 214 cities and towns have dropped Flock contracts since 2021.
