GoKawiilMapQuest adds surveillance layer showing Flock license-plate cameras
MapQuest has introduced a new map layer in its navigation app that marks the locations of license-plate reading cameras, including those made by Flock Safety. Toggling the layer on shows a red eye icon with a cone indicating the camera's field of view, though the app does not yet offer routes that avoid them. MapQuest has not disclosed how it sourced the camera location data.
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The feature responds to growing public concern over the rapid, often unannounced expansion of license-plate tracking networks across US towns and cities. Because MapQuest hasn't explained its data source, the accuracy and completeness of the camera map remains unverified, though crowdsourced tools like OpenStreetMap suggest similar community-driven tracking efforts are underway elsewhere. This could pressure rival map apps, such as Google Maps or Waze, to add comparable transparency features.
- MapQuest's app now has a toggleable surveillance layer showing nearby license-plate cameras.
- The layer displays cameras from Flock Safety and other companies using a red eye icon and direction cone.
- MapQuest has not disclosed its data source, though similar crowdsourced camera maps exist on platforms like OpenStreetMap.
Source: zdnet.com — Artie Beaty, 2026-10-19
Published there as: “How to find Flock cameras near you with MapQuest’s new ‘surveillance layer’”
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