A website called HaveIBeenFlocked has released a database that allows vehicle owners to check if their license plate numbers have been searched within Flock Safety’s surveillance system. The site uses public audit logs to provide transparency into how law enforcement, businesses, and schools utilize the nationwide camera network. The tool does not show every plate captured by a camera, but rather records where a user manually entered a specific plate number into the Flock search interface.
Flock Safety operates a vast network of automated license plate readers that record vehicle details such as make, color, and license numbers. While police agencies state the technology is vital for locating stolen cars and missing persons, the company has recently faced scrutiny. According to a Washington Post report, 46 officers have been charged or accused of using the system for unauthorized purposes, including allegations of stalking.
The HaveIBeenFlocked database currently contains 4.6 million license plate records extracted from approximately 242 million total searches. The project is supported by the Alternative Newsweekly Foundation, a nonprofit focused on watchdog journalism. The site administrators state that they do not store the license plate numbers entered by users into their search portal.
A person using the HaveIBeenFlocked tool would notice whether their vehicle was specifically targeted for a search, though the site warns of a significant delay that can last months or even years between the search and its appearance in the database. Because the data is gathered through public records requests and transparency portals, it is not a complete record of all Flock activity, as some logs remain redacted or unavailable. Residents in monitored districts will see no change in their daily bills or taxes, but they gain a tool to verify if their data was accessed by officials, which may impact their understanding of their local privacy rights.
The knock-on effects involve increased public scrutiny of automated surveillance and the potential for new regulations regarding how long audit logs are kept and how they are disclosed. Flock CEO Garrett Langley stated the company is implementing changes to prevent data misuse, though the specific nature and timeline of these updates were not reported. While the lookup tool is currently available, its future expansion depends on the continued availability of public audit logs from local governments. No specific court dates or legislative deadlines were reported regarding the regulation of these databases.