Have your license plate been tracked by Flock? New website offers a check

Drivers concerned about privacy can now check if their license plates have been searched by Flock Safety cameras through a new independent website. HaveIBeenFlocked.com allows users to enter their license plate number to see if it appears in the system's audit logs. The website emphasizes that it shows what Flock's customers have searched for, not the individual plates captured by the cameras.

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The license plates and search reasons are what someone manually entered into the system.

HaveIBeenFlocked.com is an independent project supported by the Alternative Newsweekly Foundation, aiming to operate as a nonprofit. It states that the data comes from "audit logs" of searches made public. The database includes millions of license plate records from numerous searches. The site assures users that entered data is discarded immediately after a lookup and is not stored.

However, the service has limitations. HaveIBeenFlocked.com is not a real-time tool, and there can be significant delays between a search and its appearance on the site. The database is also incomplete, as the site has limited access to audit logs, which are sometimes redacted when obtained through public records requests or transparency portals.

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This website does not save, store, or log the license plate numbers or search terms you enter.

Flock Safety operates a nationwide network of cameras that collect license plate and vehicle information, providing it to customers like law enforcement agencies. While police use the system to track suspects and missing persons, the company faces scrutiny over accusations of misuse by law enforcement officers.

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There can be a significant delay, months or even years, between when a search occurs and when it appears on this website.