The American Economic Liberties Project says Kroger's proposed $1.65 billion acquisition of Giant Eagle, which would add over 200 stores to Kroger's existing 2,700, could do more than reshape grocery competition. The advocacy group warns the merger could also combine or expand surveillance infrastructure, including Flock cameras and Cooler Screens technology, across a larger customer base. Kroger has denied using facial recognition for pricing but acknowledges using it for security at some locations; neither company responded to requests for comment.
theverge.com
· 2026-10-28
Huntington Mayor Patrick Farrell urged the city council to keep or expand Flock Safety's automated license plate reader network, citing its role in solving a recent killing and a double homicide earlier this year. During a roughly seven-hour July 13 meeting, dozens of residents and people from nearby towns spoke out, largely opposing the technology over fears of surveillance and privacy violations.
theverge.com
· 2026-10-26
Chicago residents have filed separate lawsuits against delivery robot companies Coco Robotics and Serve Robotics, alleging their sidewalk robots used onboard cameras and LIDAR sensors to capture biometric data—including images of hands, bodies, and faces—without consent. One plaintiff says a human operator remotely watched his delivery, while another claims his data could be retained for AI training or shared with third parties. Coco has called the suit against it frivolous, denying it collected biometric data in Chicago.
futurism.com
· 2026-10-25
Proton AG is now hosting a map built from leaked Flock data showing over 300,000 license plate reader cameras, after Flock sent a cease-and-desist letter to the map's original creator, researcher Joshua Michael. Unlike Michael's U.S.-only site, Proton's version is accessible worldwide and lets users search camera locations by ZIP code, though it reflects a November 2025 snapshot rather than live data.
tomshardware.com
· 2026-10-24
Proton, maker of Proton Mail and Proton VPN, has taken over hosting of an interactive map tracking Flock Safety's license plate readers and AI surveillance cameras across the US. The tool was created by security researcher Joshua Michael in September and survived a trademark complaint from Flock demanding its removal. Proton says the map counts over 214,000 Flock devices in service, far above the 120,000 Flock itself reported this summer.
cnet.com
· 2026-10-22
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.
zdnet.com
· 2026-10-19
An internal audit at the Savannah Police Department flagged nearly 1,000 license-plate-reader searches tied to officer Amber Harpe's account between January and July. Investigators found Harpe had given her username and password to her husband, a Homeland Security ICE agent who lacked his own Flock access, and he told investigators he used it to locate immigration targets with active warrants. The department fired Harpe for violating policy and undermining accountability safeguards meant to track who accesses the surveillance system.
wjcl.com
· 2026-10-19
404 Media obtained body camera and in-car footage, along with Flock and Motorola ALPR records, showing Tulsa County deputy Freddie Alaniz searching license plate reader data on a laptop while driving 60 mph, before fully pulling over driver Melissa Kyle. A federal judge had already ruled the Flock search that led to Kyle's arrest an unconstitutional warrantless search and 'indiscriminate mass surveillance,' tossing out evidence of 91 pounds of methamphetamine found in her car. The footage was purchased from a Tulsa courthouse clerk after the court declined to post it online despite it being entered as evidence.
404media.co
· 2026-10-19
Savannah Police Department fired officer Amber Harpe after an internal investigation found she gave her Flock license-plate reader login to her husband, Tyler Harpe, an ICE agent, violating department security rules against sharing such data with ICE. Using her credentials, he ran 983 searches tied to 97 license plates, most registered to Hispanic drivers, according to local station WJCL. The couple said the searches were for law-enforcement purposes only, not personal use.
theverge.com
· 2026-10-18
A Savannah police officer was terminated after allowing her husband, who works as an ICE agent, to access the department's Flock license-plate reading system through her login credentials. The city of Savannah had not authorized sharing this surveillance data with federal immigration authorities, even though Georgia law may not explicitly prohibit it.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-10-18
MapQuest has released an app update featuring a new Surveillance Layer that plots the locations of license plate readers from Flock Safety, Motorola Solutions, Genetec, Axis Communications, Axon, and several other manufacturers. The company announced the feature on Bluesky, noting that it also shows the direction each camera faces, letting users identify and potentially avoid known automatic license plate recognition devices.
tomshardware.com
· 2026-10-18
MapQuest has launched a new "Surveillance Layer" that marks locations of automated license plate readers and outdoor surveillance cameras, including devices from Flock Safety, Motorola Solutions, Genetec, Axis Communications, Axon and other manufacturers. The company has not disclosed exactly how it sources the data, though the dataset resembles crowdsourced maps maintained by DeFlock and OpenStreetMap contributors.
yro.slashdot.org
· 2026-10-17
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