Map Reveals Private ALPR Surveillance Footprint

Using crowdsourced map data and vendor transparency portals, researchers can produce a lower‑bound but policy‑relevant inventory of privately operated license‑plate readers (Flock), showing where cameras cluster and where public accountability is missing. The combination of OpenStreetMap nodes (109,577 Flock cameras) and EyesOnFlock portal scraping (1,517 agencies) exposes both scale and transparency gaps. — Knowing the mapped distribution and the transparency shortfalls of private ALPR networks reframes debates over warrants, data retention, civil‑liberties safeguards, and federal versus state regulation.