DeFlock
Hacker ApprovedCamera map service in Privacy & security
Crowdsourced map and app of automated license plate reader camera locations with user reporting; some say it mixes in cameras that aren't Flock's.
19 people recommended DeFlock in Hacker News comments, 4 had mixed feelings and 4 criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026.
Summary written by Claude from the comments below.
27 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 19
- mixed feelings
- 4
- warn against or regret it
- 4
The record
Recommended in 9 of 12 months
In 16 different threads.
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
Why it carries the badge
- 19 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 4.8 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 9 of 12 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
- Recommended in 16 threadsNeeds 5 or more, met.
- The biggest thread supplies 16% of its recommendersNeeds half or less, met.
The same rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. Mixed feelings count toward neither side. How the badge works
What people say about it
Reasons grouped from a sample of 19 of the 29 opinions about it, picked in proportion to how many people recommend it, have mixed feelings and criticize it. Each mark is one comment in the sample. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Crowdsourced map of camera locations
“There's a map of ALPRs based on OpenStreetMap so you can see ones near you”
Comment from 3 Aug 2026 in “Flock's CEO Faced Me After Its Cameras Led to My Wrongful Stop” “provides a crowd sourced map showing the known locations of flock cameras”
Comment from 23 Feb 2026 in “Americans are destroying Flock surveillance cameras” “deserves a mention for its crowdsourcing of ALPR camera data”
Comment from 15 Dec 2025 in “We put Flock under surveillance: Go make them behave differently [video]” - Comment from 14 Apr 2026 in “I wrote to Flock's privacy contact to opt out of their domestic spying program”
- Comment from 13 Aug 2026 in “Flock Safety changes system defaults in response to criticisms”
Shows cameras near you
“Visit deflock.me/map to see if you live near a camera.”
Comment from 6 Dec 2025 in “Have I been Flocked? – Check if your license plate is being watched” “I use DeFlock app to see camera locations”
Comment from 13 Aug 2026 in “Flock Safety changes system defaults in response to criticisms” “This site helps you track where they are”
Comment from 17 Jul 2026 in “Cops Use Flock to Track People, Not Cars” Mobile app for mapping cameras
“there is now a DeFlock app that helps with mapping”
Comment from 11 Nov 2025 in “Redmond, WA, turns off Flock Safety cameras after ICE arrests” “And contribute additional ones on iOS or Android.”
Comment from 4 Aug 2026 in “All of Winona Police Department's Flock cameras cut down and stolen” Local organizing help and templates
“Map your neighborhood on deflock.me, put flyers on your local streets, talk to your neighbors”
Comment from 1 Oct 2026 in “Cities Are Forced to Funnel License Plate Data to a Federal Surveillance Program” “The people at DeFlock are also very helpful with local support”
Comment from 13 Jan 2026 in “Flock Hardcoded the Password for America's Surveillance Infrastructure 53 Times”
What people recommend instead
The same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Mixed | Criticize | Approval | Months | Had for | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DeFlockThis page | 19 | 4 | 4 | 83% | 9 | — | Approved |
| alpr.watch | 6 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
What people said
19 of the 29 opinions about it, picked in proportion to the three counts, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Map your neighborhood on deflock.me, put flyers on your local streets, talk to your neighbors”
“It allows crowdsourced reporting of camera locations.”
“I use DeFlock app to see camera locations”
“And contribute additional ones on iOS or Android.”
“There's a map of ALPRs based on OpenStreetMap so you can see ones near you”
“This site, while something I support, probably won't.”
“This site helps you track where they are”
“Doesn’t work with my hardened machine with webgl off or my old phone.”
“The best source of this information is https://deflock.org/”
“provides a crowd sourced map showing the known locations of flock cameras”
“I like just pointing them to https://deflock.org/ for a start.”
“The people at DeFlock are also very helpful with local support”
“how DeFlocked's map groups cameras until you zoom in closely”
“deserves a mention for its crowdsourcing of ALPR camera data”
“deflock.me is the slowest "map" based site i've seen since keyhole in the late 90s”
“That website is a bit misleading, their "worldwide" map includes ALL ALPR cameras, not just the ones operated by Flock or for-profit surveillance companies.”
“Visit deflock.me/map to see if you live near a camera.”
“there is now a DeFlock app that helps with mapping”
“Which is better than Flock's "Transparency" Report.”
Counts come from 1,791,911 Hacker News comments labeled by Claude, November 2025 to October 2026, with data through October 31, 2026. Counts updated 2 Nov 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.