A crowdsourced surveillance-mapping app sparked viral confusion about Flock cameras in New York City, where the controversial devices do not actually operate.
The DeFlock app, which maps automated license plate readers nationwide, drew intense Reddit attention after a New York Times report highlighted its existence. Reddit users scoured the platform and discovered scores of license plate readers across the Big Apple’s streets, though none from Flock itself. “There are no Flock cameras in New York City,” a user noted on the platform.
What the app instead revealed was the city’s vast network of license plate readers maintained by the city Department of Transportation, MTA and, most controversially, NYPD. The department’s expanded Domain Awareness System, described by the NYPD as the “largest networks of cameras, license plate readers, and radiological sensors in the world,” rolled out to every police precinct in 2013. After the 9/11 terror attacks, the NYPD steadily built out this massive citywide surveillance network — first with private-sector security cameras, then with license plate readers.
“With data over a longer period, with more license plate readers, and more sophisticated analytical tools, automatic license plate readers can tell an intimate story about an innocent New Yorker,” a report from the New York Civil Liberties Union stated more than a decade ago.
Those decade-old concerns have only expanded with the proliferation of Flock nationwide. “Every day, the NYPD funnels license plate reader data into the Domain Awareness System, making New Yorkers’ locations — like where you work, your doctor’s office, or house of worship — trackable and searchable for a mind-boggling five years,” said Daniel Schwarz, senior privacy and technology strategist at the NYCLU.
“Let’s be clear: no one is safer or better off when the government or anyone else logs and retains your every move,” Schwarz added.
While the city does not contract with Flock, various Long Island communities do — such as the Village of Hempstead, where roughly 75 cameras scan its 3.7-square-mile area, according to News12. Concerns in the Big Apple blew up when the crowdsourced DeFlock app showed the ritzy Upper West Side didn’t have a single license plate reader, a finding that captured suspicious minds on the “conspiracy” subreddit.
“It’s all of the rich and powerful that live there,” a user posted. “Rules for thee, not for me.”
The actual answer — as first reported by the West Side Rag — is much less nefarious. The volunteer-sourced map is simply incomplete, according to the report, which noted a law firm’s list of license plate readers showed several on the Upper West Side.
NYPD rep Brad Weeks insisted that DeFlock’s mapping is “totally inaccurate.” “From my understanding, there are [Automated License Plate Readers] installed on the Upper West Side,” he said — though he was unable to provide any information on how many or where exactly they are possibly located. He later said he confirmed there are automated license plate readers on the Upper West Side, but again, declined to say where or how many.
DeFlock did not respond to multiple requests for a response to the NYPD’s claims. Their website states their data is compiled by volunteers using open-source information. Reps for the DOT and mayor’s office did not respond to questions about the cameras, either.
In the viral moment that started the latest wave of scrutiny, the New York Times report on DeFlock amplified growing nationwide backlash against Flock and similar surveillance vendors. The app allows anyone to search their neighborhood for automated license plate readers, pulling from volunteer-submitted data. Reddit users in New York City and beyond have since used it to fuel debates about surveillance equity, privacy, and whether wealthy neighborhoods enjoy protection from the watchful eyes that monitor other communities. The app’s limitations — its reliance on crowdsourcing rather than official data — have become apparent as users compare its findings against other sources and official claims.
Flock Safety, founded in 2017 in Atlanta, sells internet-connected cameras that photograph passing vehicles, read license plates, and identify vehicle characteristics such as make, model, and color. The company claims not to use facial recognition and typically retains data for 30 days unless local regulations specify otherwise. At least 54 cities across the US have voted to cancel, non-renew, or reject Flock’s automatic license plate readers since the start of 2026, according to data collected by the Washington Examiner, with cities in 23 states shredding contracts amid privacy and civil rights concerns.