- MapQuest adds a new surveillance layer to its app
- It features license plate scanners from Flock and other companies
- The move seems to have gone down well online
MapQuest is enjoying a resurgence in popularity since it decided to ignore several lake renaming mandates from the US government, and a new feature freshly added to its Android and iOS apps may further improve its reputation: Flock Camera Tracking.
According to MapQuest’s announcement, (via Android Authority) the new monitoring layer and map options bring out the locations of automated license plate readers (ALPRs) such as 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’ll likely see an alarming number of dots around you on the map when you turn this off—each represented by a searching red eye.
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Such is the density of these ALPRs, you may not be able to avoid them completely without some very clever loops and shortcuts, but you’ll at least know they’re there. You may decide that it is better for your privacy to take the bus.
Use and abuse
The streets have eyes! 👁️ Activate the surveillance layer and 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
Flock’s arguments as recently as this week are that these ALPRs are useful crime prevention devices, cover much more ground than police officers can do alone, and help dispatch law enforcement resources more effectively.
For citizens, the concern is that some people with access to the technology will not be able to use it in the right way – and instead look to track members of the public without permission and, for example, to track ex-partners. These are incidents that have actually happened multiple times, leading to significant public backlash.
Add in concerns about 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 hard to see why the cameras have been so heavily criticized.
Reactions to MapQuest’s move have been mostly positive online. “This is how you win users back from Google,” says one Redditor, while others in the thread say they plan to switch to MapQuest or have already done so.
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