Our neighborhoods are being watched 24/7. Automated License Plate Readers and Flock cameras are tracking where we go, when we go there, and who we are—all without our say in it. This isn't safety. This is mass surveillance, and it's happening right now in Illinois.

I started a petition to get our state and local leaders to stop deploying these cameras and have a real conversation about privacy and policing instead. The data these systems collect can be stored indefinitely, shared without clear safeguards, and there's zero guarantee it won't be misused. Meanwhile, studies show this kind of blanket surveillance doesn't actually reduce crime—we'd get better results investing in community policing and social programs that address root causes.

What bothers me most is how quietly this rolled out. No public debate. No vote. Just cameras everywhere. Anyone else feeling like this crossed a line? If you think people deserve privacy in their own communities, consider signing and sharing this. Your voice matters—especially if you live in Illinois.

Finally got this live after a lot of nights and weekends!

You give it an address and a radius, and it messages you when a new automated license plate reader gets mapped near you. It tells you how far away it is, what road it’s on, and gives you a link that opens the spot in your maps app.

Data is from OpenStreetMap, so it’s whatever people have actually mapped. Covers the whole US including territories. Not tied to one brand, it picks up Flock, Motorola, Genetec, Axon and the rest, plus gunshot detectors.

Alerts can be instant or batched into a daily or weekly digest. Web push, email, Telegram, Discord or ntfy.

It’s free with no paid tier and no ads. I run it on my own hardware, which is the whole reason I can keep it that way instead of passing a hosting bill on to anyone.

Contact info and addresses are encrypted, nothing is kept longer than it needs to be, and you can export or delete everything you gave it whenever you want.

flock-watch.us

Happy to answer anything about how it works! And if coverage looks thin where you are, that’s almost always a gap in OSM rather than the site, so let me know and I’ll take a look :)

ICYMI: This week is the No ALPRs week of action and local community groups are opposing Flock automated license plate reader surveillance at two major home improvement chains, Home Depot and Lowe's. As many of you know Flock has come under fire for data sharing with ICE fueling deportations, and for abuse of this tech by law enforcement who are tapping it to stalk women and track abortion seekers.

For those looking to take action you can sign a petition and spread word by printing flyers or sharing these efforts on social media. https://www.deflocklowes.com/

Residents did not speak at a City Council hearing this week merely to express discomfort with new technology. They presented an evidence-based argument that the current system is inadequately governed, vulnerable to abuse, and capable of uses far beyond the narrow public-safety examples emphasized by its defenders.

These surveillance cameras are watching our every move on public roads, and it doesn't feel right. Flock cameras are being used in Redding and Shasta County to track our movements—capturing where we go, when we go there, and how often. That's not security. That's surveillance.

I started a petition because safety shouldn't mean giving up our privacy. Our founders didn't create America for this. We have the right to move through our communities without being constantly monitored and recorded. I'm asking the city and county to remove these cameras and destroy all footage they've collected.

If you live here, you're being tracked right now. Anyone else uncomfortable with that? If this matters to you too, consider signing and sharing the petition. Let's tell our leaders we want both safety AND privacy—not one at the expense of the other.

Today is a really important day.

RT4 was founded in response to Snowden's revelations proving NSA mass surveillance. This morning at 10:30am Eastern, the House is expected to start voting on whether to reauthorize FISA 702, which allows NSA, FBI, CIA and NCTC to search the communications of Americans without a warrant.

Please, if you have any time this morning, and especially before 10:30am Eastern, call your Representative on (202) 224-3121 and ask them to vote NO on reauthorization without FISA warrant reforms. Smash that up arrow if you are doing it!

Your calls matter. With our allies, we've blocked the Speaker's FISA reauthorization plans four times in the last two weeks. Now we're going for five. He'll only allow a vote on warrants if he has no other choice, and if we get that vote, we believe he'll lose. Take a moment to call right now.