YouTuber builds 'Flock-like' camera to track police vehicles, gets police visit
A Canadian YouTuber was visited by police after building an automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) system to track police vehicles. The project highlights growing public concerns regarding mass surveillance and the lack of oversight for private-public law enforcement technology partnerships.
Why it matters
The incident underscores the tension between public privacy rights and the increasing use of automated surveillance technology by law enforcement.
Officers reportedly say anti-surveillance control policies may lead to details of active investigations reaching criminals.
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(Image credit: Getty Images) Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 9 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter A YouTuber has received an unexpected visit from the police over an automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) camera he built to specifically track police cars, using the same technology law enforcement has infamously used to track ordinary citizens. In a video posted to his channel on October 7, Anthony Sistilli says two police officers showed up at his doorstep on September 20th to ask questions about the device, asking what his intentions were with the project.
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