MapQuest Adds Surveillance Layer Showing License Plate Reader Locations

MapQuest Launches Surveillance Layer

MapQuest, an online mapping and navigation service that predates Google Maps, has released an app update introducing a new Surveillance Layer. The company announced the feature on Bluesky, stating that it plots the locations of known license plate readers on the map, covering devices from Flock Safety as well as Motorola Solutions (Vigilant), Genetec, Axis Communications, Axon, Leonardo (ELSAG), Neology, Rekor, PlateSmart, Ubicquia, Verkada, and other brands.

The update goes beyond simple placement data. Each camera's entry also indicates the direction it faces, giving users a more complete picture of where automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) coverage exists.

Privacy Debate Around ALPR Systems

MapQuest has not disclosed how its developers compiled the camera data, but the feature closely resembles a Flock Surveillance Map previously built by a security researcher using Flock's own data. With location and direction information now publicly available, drivers who wish to avoid being captured by ALPR systems can potentially plan routes around known cameras.

The feature arrives amid ongoing controversy over license plate readers. Cities and police forces argue that systems like these help keep people safe by making it easier to track potential criminals. Critics, however, describe them as a massive invasion of privacy, pointing to multiple incidents of police officers abusing the systems and administrative errors, such as one case that led to the detention of an innocent car reviewer. Some cities facing complaints from constituents have already begun removing the cameras.

Law Enforcement Reaction Unclear

It remains to be seen how police departments will respond to the new MapQuest feature. Many departments previously raised objections when Waze released a 2015 update that allowed users to report officers' locations.

The tool has limitations as well. If a destination has heavy camera coverage, drivers may have no choice but to pass through at least one reader and be detected. The piece also references a "Flock Sock," an obstruction some have placed on cameras, and mentions a Canadian YouTuber who built a "Flock-like" camera that tracked police vehicles, only to be visited by officers who, in an ironic twist, raised privacy concerns.

Sources: Tom's Hardware · Engadget