MapQuest adds 'surveillance layer' to its app showing Flock and other license plate reader camera locations
MapQuest announced on Bluesky that its navigation app now has a surveillance layer showing the locations of license plate reading cameras from Flock and other companies. Cameras appear as small red eye icons with a vision cone showing the direction each one faces. The app does not yet offer routing that avoids the cameras. MapQuest has not said how it sourced the location data. The author notes it is likely user-generated, similar to crowdsourced maps such as OpenStreetMap, which Flock is actively fighting. Google Maps and Apple Maps do not offer this information, and Waze only flags generic 'police cameras'. This is privacy and product news with no direct threat to defenders.
Detalhes técnicos
- The layer is toggled from the layer icon on the main navigation screen.
- The data source is unconfirmed. The author has asked MapQuest but had not received an answer at publication.
- The author counted more than 30 cameras in a town of about 80,000 people.
Linha do tempo
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MapQuest adds 'surveillance layer' to its app showing Flock and other license plate reader camera locations
ler a análise desta fonte ocultar
MapQuest announced on Bluesky that its navigation app now has a surveillance layer showing the locations of license plate reading cameras from Flock and other companies. Cameras appear as small red eye icons with a vision cone showing the direction each one faces. The app does not yet offer routing that avoids the cameras. MapQuest has not said how it sourced the location data. The author notes it is likely user-generated, similar to crowdsourced maps such as OpenStreetMap, which Flock is actively fighting. Google Maps and Apple Maps do not offer this information, and Waze only flags generic 'police cameras'. This is privacy and product news with no direct threat to defenders.
Technical Details
- The layer is toggled from the layer icon on the main navigation screen.
- The data source is unconfirmed. The author has asked MapQuest but had not received an answer at publication.
- The author counted more than 30 cameras in a town of about 80,000 people.