- MapQuest is adding a new Surveillance Layer to its app
- It shows licence plate scanners from Flock and other companies
- The move seems to have gone down well online
MapQuest has been enjoying a resurgence in popularity since it decided to ignore certain lake renaming mandates from the US government, and a new feature freshly added to its Android and iOS apps may well improve its reputation further: Flock camera tracking.
According to the MapQuest announcement, the new Surveillance Layer in map options will bring up the locations of automated license plate readers (ALPRs) from the likes of Flock, Vigilant, Genetic, Axis, Axon, Leonardo, Neology, Rekor, PlateSmart, Ubicquia, and Verkada
Considering that Flock alone has more than 120,000 cameras installed around the US, you’re likely to see a worrying number of dots show up around you on the map when you switch this on — each represented by a searching red eye.
Such is the density of these ALPRs, you may not be able to completely avoid them without some very clever loops and shortcuts, but you will at least know they’re there. You might decide it’s better for your privacy to take the bus.
Use and misuse
The Roads Have Eyes! 👁️Turn on the Surveillance Layer in Map Options to see known license plate readers from Flock Safety, Motorola Solutions (Vigilant), Genetec, Axis Communications, Axon, Leonardo (ELSAG), Neology, Rekor, PlateSmart, Ubicquia, Verkada, and other outdoor surveillance cameras.
— @mapquest.com (@mapquest.com.bsky.social) 2026-10-17T13:05:19.118Z
The arguments made by Flock as recently as this week are that these ALPRs are useful crime prevention devices, covering much more ground than police officers can do on their own, and helping to dispatch law enforcement resources more effectively.
For citizens, the worry is that certain people with access to the technology may not use it in the right way — and instead look to track members of the public without permission and stalk ex-partners, for example. These are incidents that have actually happened multiple times, leading to significant public backlash.
Add on the concerns around Flock data being shared with other government agencies without proper oversight, and the risks of these systems being hacked by bad actors, and it’s not difficult to see why the cameras have been so heavily criticized.
The reactions to the MapQuest move have been mostly positive online. “This is how you win back users from Google,” says one Redditor, while others in the thread say they plan to switch to MapQuest or have already done so.
