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Show HN: Automated license plate reader coverage in the USA

(alpranalysis.com)
239 points sodality2 | 3 comments | 10 Dec 25 17:42 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source

Built this over the last few days, based on a Rust codebase that parses the latest ALPR reports from OpenStreetMaps, calculates navigation statistics from every tagged residential building to nearby amenities, and tests each route for intersection with those ALPR cameras (Flock being the most widespread).

These have gotten more controversial in recent months, due to their indiscriminate large scale data collection, with 404 Media publishing many original pieces (https://www.404media.co/tag/flock/) about their adoption and (ab)use across the country. I wanted to use open source datasets to track the rapid expansion, especially per-county, as this data can be crucial for 'deflock' movements to petition counties and city governments to ban and remove them.

In some counties, the tracking becomes so widespread that most people can't go anywhere without being photographed. This includes possibly sensitive areas, like places of worship and medical facilities.

The argument for their legality rests upon the notion that these cameras are equivalent to 'mere observation', but the enormous scope and data sharing agreements in place to share and access millions of records without warrants blurs the lines of the fourth amendment.

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yannyu ◴[10 Dec 25 20:28 UTC] No.46223289[source]▶
I've thought about this a lot as I see more and more reckless driving in the areas I live in. Surveillance is generally a net negative, but it's also bad when you see people speeding around schools, rolling through stop signs, and running red lights. We seem to have a worst of all situations where traffic is getting increasingly difficult to enforce, driving is getting more dangerous year by year, and we're terrified of government overreach if we add any automation at all to enforcement.

I don't know the solution, but I do know that in the US we've lost 10-15 years of progress when it comes to traffic fatalities.

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chaps ◴[10 Dec 25 20:30 UTC] No.46223332[source]▶

  > but it's also bad when you see people speeding around schools, rolling through stop signs, and running red lights.
This is not what Flock seeks to curb.
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1. genewitch ◴[11 Dec 25 02:14 UTC] No.46226859[source]▶
so what do they seek to curb? freedom of movement?
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2. thatcat ◴[11 Dec 25 03:08 UTC] No.46227200[source]▶
It's an opportunistic solution to a budget problem.

Local governments have extra money from property price bubble increasing tax revenues.

At the same time there are great open source image analysis models for companies to put on a pole using cheap android hw and a solar panel and make bold claims about solving all crime, then they can sell that data again to 3rd parties like insurance. Also can start buying access to more video feeds from ring cameras etc and resell that. They'll hire someone to make a ux to integrate it into PDs later, for a premium of course.

3. dole ◴[11 Dec 25 07:29 UTC] No.46228636[source]▶
“Crime.”

https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2025/09/03/ai-st...