# Inside the Flock camera hack that exposed mass surveillance > Hackers dismantled a license plate reader and revealed how Flock's cameras track vehicles and people across America. - Title: Inside the Flock camera hack that exposed mass surveillance - Summary: Hackers dismantled a license plate reader and revealed how Flock's cameras track vehicles and people across America. Flock cameras detect and record people… - Keywords: flock safety, license plate readers, surveillance, hackers, stegan0gram, reverse engineering, encryption, privacy, police technology, automatic license plate readers, data sharing, security vulnerability - Source: Ars Technica — https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/09/hackers-reveal-how-flock-cameras-really-track-cars-and-people - Published: 2026-09-17T09:43:46+00:00 - Read time: 3 min - Topics: flock safety, license plate readers, surveillance, hackers, stegan0gram, reverse engineering, encryption, privacy, police technology, automatic license plate readers, data sharing, security vulnerability ## Hackers dismantle Flock camera A group called stegan0gram removed a Flock camera from a roadway, copied its data, and recovered an encryption key that unlocked thousands of vehicle detection videos. ## The breach reveals hidden capabilities Analysis shows Flock's software explicitly detects people, vehicles, license plates, and bicycles. The camera generated over a million images in recovered logs. ## Cameras capture extreme detail A single passing vehicle generates about 28 images, sometimes over 100. The system even isolated bumper stickers and an American flag patch on a motorcyclist's saddlebag. ## National network shares data widely Flock allows police departments across the country to search cameras in other jurisdictions. In one Georgia city, over 2,000 agencies could access the camera data. ## Data used for controversial searches Police have used Flock's national network to search for immigration enforcement on behalf of ICE and to track a woman who self-administered an abortion. ## How the hack actually worked The hackers accessed the Android system and found unencrypted partitions including one called media. That partition contained an encryption key unlocking the video storage. ## Prior security flaws were downplayed In early 2025, researcher Jon Gaines found flaws allowing root-level access. Flock acknowledged them but claimed physical access was required and footage couldn't be accessed. ## The camera's processing pipeline The device runs 20 Flock-built apps that detect motion, take photos, classify objects, and upload data. It doesn't read plates itself; that happens on Flock's servers. ## Staggering volume of surveillance In 21 days of recovered logs, the camera photographed roughly 50,200 vehicles and generated about 1.6 million images, averaging 3,300 vehicles per day. ## People detection was active The software explicitly detects people and records their location and confidence level. Tests found it detected people in 11 video clips, all of motorcyclists. ## Misidentification creates false data The license plate detector mistook bumper stickers, dealership frames, and graphics for plates. It cropped an American flag patch as if it were a license plate. ## No face recognition found Flock insists its cameras don't perform face recognition. Investigators found no evidence of active face recognition beyond Android's default capabilities. ## Police software enables pattern tracking Flock's OS Investigate software uses camera records plus police files and commercial data to identify drivers, find vehicles traveling together, and track movement patterns. ## Flock downplays the vulnerability The company called the camera removal illegal and said it received no vulnerability report. It encouraged researchers to use its official disclosure process. > The unauthorized removal and tampering of a Flock camera is illegal. ## Sabotage sparks national debate Multiple people have been arrested for tampering with Flock cameras. Some towns stopped using them, while one police department created a fake 3D-printed camera to catch vandals. ## Critics worry sabotage backfires Former Rhode Island police officer Noel Pichardo warns that camera destruction could strengthen police arguments that the technology is necessary for public safety. > I think that type of vigilantism will only crystallize the police and the state at large in their belief that this tool is necessary. ## Key takeaway Flock cameras detect and record people as well as vehicles, and their data is shared with thousands of agencies nationwide, raising serious privacy concerns.