Flock Wants the Most Detailed Map of Its Surveillance Cameras Taken Offline

Flock's surveillance device locations are now publicly mapped, detailing over 300,000 devices nationwide.

A cybersecurity researcher named Joshua Michael has created a map detailing over 170,000 Flock surveillance cameras and an additional 130,000 accompanying devices across the United States. This map, based on location data extracted from Flock's own databases in December 2025, significantly expands the publicly known scope of Flock's surveillance network, which the company itself stated operates over 120,000 cameras. Michael's findings, which include supplementary devices like acoustic detectors and networking equipment, were presented at a Senate Subcommittee hearing on Flock. His research method involved accessing publicly leaking data tokens from Flock's servers, a vulnerability he claims to have reported to Flock in November 2025 without receiving a substantive response. Flock has since denied any data breaches.

The existence of a comprehensive, researcher-generated map of Flock's devices, derived from the company's own data, raises significant privacy and national security concerns. The scale of the network, exceeding Flock's own reported figures, suggests a more pervasive tracking capability than previously understood, potentially allowing foreign entities to monitor the movements of critical personnel. This level of detail also highlights potential security failures or a lack of transparency from Flock regarding its data handling practices. Furthermore, the dispute over data access and Flock's subsequent denial of breaches, despite Michael's claims of having extracted their database, underscores a growing tension between surveillance technology providers and public scrutiny. The involvement of a third-party firm, Doppel, filing a trademark complaint to have the map taken down, indicates Flock's efforts to control public narrative and mitigate reputational damage. This situation prompts further investigation into how such data is secured and how companies respond to vulnerability disclosures. The map’s existence and the surrounding controversy may lead to increased regulatory attention on automated license plate reader and surveillance companies.

The map’s detailed enumeration of Flock devices, including specific model types and even camera names like 'FBI Pilot Camera' at FBI headquarters, illustrates the potential for highly granular surveillance. The concentration of devices near critical infrastructure like airports and within detention centers further emphasizes the breadth of this tracking. This public exposure of Flock's network infrastructure could spur investigations into its data usage and security protocols, particularly concerning sensitive locations and personnel. This event signals a critical juncture for companies like Flock, forcing a reckoning with transparency and data security. The ongoing debate between Flock's claims of no breaches and the researcher's evidence of data exfiltration will likely influence public trust and potentially shape future industry standards or regulations concerning data access and reporting. The pushback from Doppel on behalf of Flock suggests a concerted effort to manage information, a tactic that could be increasingly scrutinized in the face of such detailed public research.