- License plate cameras track vehicles nonstop, even without crimes.
- Researchers found surveillance systems accessible online today.
- Texas is investigating licensing issues tied to camera technology.
Years ago, a quiet bargain began. Automatic license plate readers mounted to police vehicles offered a promise of safer streets, asking in return only for a bit of your privacy. But the balance of that deal is shifting.
A growing stack of evidence now suggests the exchange may have been far more uneven than anyone admitted at the outset, and the surveillance net doesn’t just catch criminals. It catches you and your car, too.
More: An Increasing Number Of U.S. Cities Are Using License Plate Reading Cameras
A new report from Benn Jordan, working with 404 Media, shows that several public safety cameras, including systems tied to Flock Safety, are viewable online without encryption, passwords, or authentication.
Who Can Watch You?
In other words, anyone who has the right web address can watch archived footage or even watch security camera footage live as it happens. This isn’t some theoretical issue or risk. Jordan was able to watch families load up cars, individuals leaving their homes, joggers on trails, and drivers moving through cities in real time.
Then he was able to use other publicly available tools to not just identify these folks, but find out exactly where they lived, what they did day to day, and in some cases, what medical issues they were facing. If he can do it, just imagine what someone with nefarious intentions can do.
Not Just Plates Anymore
From an automotive perspective, these systems don’t just “see” license plates; they log the type of car in question, the unique bumper stickers, dents, and more about each car that rolls by. Every commute, errand run, or late-night drive can become part of a searchable database, even if no crime is involved.
Civil liberties advocates argue this creates a permanent record of innocent driving behavior, stored by third-party vendors and accessed with increasingly tiny justification.
Read: A Legal Plate Sticker That Fools Police AI Cameras Could Still Send You to Jail in Florida
In Texas, state troopers are now investigating Flock Safety over licensing issues, says the Houston Chronicle. Authorities indicate the company operated for years without a required private investigator license and briefly had its security license suspended in 2025 due to insurance lapses.
While Flock has described these issues as administrative errors, legal experts warn that improperly licensed surveillance could put criminal cases and collected vehicle data at risk.
Legal Pushback Grows
In other states like Washington, police have shut down safety cameras of this sort after a judge ruled that the photos and video they collect are public record, according to the law.
Again, the concern isn’t that law enforcement is tracking criminals; it’s that these cameras are tracking everyone, and access is unquestionably open to plenty of people who either are or could be bad actors.
