MapQuest rolled out a new feature on its mobile app Thursday that allows users to activate a “surveillance layer” to display known automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) along their travel routes. The company announced the update on the social platform Bluesky with the message, “The Roads Have Eyes!”
The feature, found under Map Options, lists cameras from major surveillance providers including Flock Safety, Motorola Solutions (Vigilant), Genetec, Axis Communications, Axon, Leonardo (ELSAG), Neology, Rekor, PlateSmart, Ubicquia, Verkada, and other outdoor surveillance systems.
The launch comes as progressive lawmakers have introduced the Ban Flock Act, which would bar federal agencies from using ALPRs and suspend federal grant money for state and local governments that maintain contracts with ALPR vendors. The bill also gives Americans the right to sue the federal government over ALPR use.
Flock Safety, one of the largest players in the market, operates a network of more than 120,000 cameras nationwide. Its devices capture not just license plate numbers but also vehicle characteristics—make, model, color, and unique features like bumper stickers or decals—to create what the company calls a “vehicle signature.” Flock says it does not use facial recognition or biometric data.
Concerns over misuse have intensified following a Washington Post investigation that found more than 50 law enforcement officers had been accused, charged, or convicted of using Flock or other ALPR systems to track romantic partners or exes. In response, a bipartisan pair of senators—Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) and Katie Britt (R-Ala.)—sent a letter to Attorney General Todd Blanche last month, pressing for details on Justice Department use of ALPRs and urging guidance to prevent abuse by local agencies.
Flock spokesperson Andrew Smith told The Hill that the company “strongly supports legislation establishing guardrails governing license plate reader use.”
MapQuest’s recent surge in popularity began last month when it refused to rename Lake Ontario to “Lake America” following an executive order by President Trump. The company said its app saw hundreds of thousands of downloads after that decision. In 2025, MapQuest similarly allowed users to choose how to label the Gulf of Mexico after Trump’s renaming to the “Gulf of America.”
