ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The MapQuest app now includes a surveillance layer.
- You can see the location of license plate cameras near you.
- The app shows cameras from Flock and other companies.
If you’re concerned about the rise in Flock license plate tracking cameras that are popping up everywhere, one of the oldest names in online navigation has a new way to help.
MapQuest — yes, the very same MapQuest you might have used to print out turn-by-turn directions decades ago –- announced on Bluesky that it’s added a surveillance layer to the map on its app.
Also: 90,000 Flock cameras have quietly gone up in the US: What they track and how to check your city
MapQuest’s app offers turn-by-turn navigation, just like Google Maps and Apple Maps. But neither of the latter offer information on Flock camera locations.
How MapQuest’s surveillance layer works
When you turn the layer on (just tap the layer icon on the main navigation screen and you’ll see the toggle), the cameras appear on the map as a small red eye. A vision cone indicates what direction the camera is facing. There isn’t a setting to route you around license-plate reading cameras yet, but you can see where they are and avoid them on your own if you want.
MapQuest didn’t explain how it found the location of these cameras, but I’ve reached out to ask. There are several crowdsourced maps online (which Flock is actively fighting), though, including OpenStreetMap, which shows where Flock and similar license plate reading cameras are located. It seems likely that the data MapQuest is using is user-generated, but it does look reliable.
The Waze app does identify “police cameras,” but that also includes speed cameras, as well as general traffic and weather cameras, so it can be hard to tell which are surveillance cameras.
I’ll admit that I haven’t been too concerned about Flock cameras to this point, but it was a little unsettling to see more than 30 cameras across the medium-sized town of 80,000 people where I live.
MapQuest is on the rise
The once-go-to name for turn-by-turn directions is seeing a bit of a resurgence of late in a world dominated by Google Maps, Waze, and Apple Maps. The app made news in August by announcing that it wasn’t changing the name of Lake Ontario, leading to a surge in new users, and by announcing Android Auto support shortly after.
Also: I tested Google Maps vs. Waze to find the best updated navigation app – and this one wins
I was a dedicated Waze user for years before converting to the default option of Google Maps as of late, but if MapQuest can keep improving, it might soon find itself as a viable alternative for users disillusioned with today’s tech landscape.
