Hackers expose Flock camera keys and detailed roadside tracking

Leaked data and software show broad surveillance of people and vehicles as lawmakers move to rein in Flock-style cameras.

A hacking group removed a Flock Safety roadway camera, cloned its storage, and found an encryption key on the device that let them unlock tens of thousands of video clips and over a million images, contradicting Flock’s claims about on‑device encryption and brief local retention. Analysis of the recovered software and logs shows the camera’s computer‑vision stack explicitly detects people, vehicles, bicycles, license plates and even details like bumper stickers, raising significant privacy and surveillance concerns beyond pure plate reading. One examined camera alone logged about 1.6 million images, 50,200 vehicles, 11 people, and 27,321 short MP4 clips over 21 days, indicating high‑volume, fine‑grained tracking of roadway activity. Amid growing backlash and documented misuse of Flock systems by some police, US lawmakers have introduced the bipartisan No FLOCK Act to pressure states to sharply limit license‑plate reader use. The bill would withhold 10% of certain federal transportation funds from states that don’t ban Flock‑style cameras outside five allowed purposes, such as toll enforcement and investigating stolen vehicles or felonies.