Observed Signal · Sep 17, 2026 · Security Research · Source: t3n · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Negative
Flock Safety Hack Reveals Cameras Track People, Not Just Plates
A hacking collective known as 'stegan0gram' dismantled a Flock Safety automated license plate reader (ALPR) camera in the US, revealing that it captures far more than license plates. The camera also records images of people, bicycles, motorcycles, and even decals or patches on clothing, which are incorrectly interpreted and stored as plates. Over a 21-day period, one camera captured 1.6 million images and logged 50,000 vehicles, sending data to Flock's cloud for AI-based recognition of plates, make, and color. The hackers also found weak encryption, retrieving a key from an unencrypted area, and storage issues causing crashes. Flock Safety dismissed the act as illegal and pointed to its bug bounty program. The findings, reported by 404 Media and Wired, add to criticism over privacy and potential misuse.
Security vulnerability in surveillance tech relevant to privacy and data protection in adtech-adjacent identity, but not a major industry event.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Hackers dismantled a Flock Safety ALPR camera and discovered it stores images of people and bicycles, not just license plates.
- One camera captured 1.6 million images and logged 50,000 vehicles in 21 days.
- The ALPR system uploads data to Flock's cloud for AI-based recognition of plates, make, and color.
- Weak encryption allowed hackers to find a key in an unencrypted area.
- Flock Safety called the dismantling illegal and recommended its bug bounty program; findings were reported by 404 Media and Wired.
Connected Companies & Entities
2 Entities mappedOntology Mapping & Concepts
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