GoKawiilNot sure if a new installation is a Flock camera? Here’s how to tell. The Washington Post/Contributor/Getty
As I’ve covered Flock Safety’s AI camera and license plate tracking technology, including cities choosing to cancel their surveillance contracts while others adopt even more, I’ve come across a common problem. Many people don’t actually know what a Flock camera looks like.
That’s one reason I’m not the biggest fan of crowdsourced Flock-spotting apps like DeFlock, which make it a bit too easy to give conflicting information about what people think is a Flock camera. This led to so much confusion in my own city that the city council had to put out a bulletin explaining that local government no longer uses Flock cameras, and what people are seeing probably aren’t Flock cams in the first place.
So, how do you know if you’re seeing a mounted Flock camera, or a traditional traffic cam, or a competitor camera, or just a new cam from a friendly neighbor? I’m rounding up the exact ways you can tell.
Look for the telltale Flock camera shape
You can still identify most Flock cameras by their distinctive design. Allen J. Schaben/Contributor/Getty
Flock Safety’s brand has a very clear camera shape, so with a closer look, it’s typically easy to tell if it’s a Flock automatic license plate reader camera or something else.
Watch for the classic oval, hooded shape of the camera with a circular lens, a near-universal mark of Flock camera.
Notice this competitor brand Obvio has a distinctly different design than Flock, and may not offer the same surveillance services.
Not all license plate cameras are Flock, and that can matter for your privacy. Chip Somodevilla/Staff/Getty
... continue reading