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Proton hosts Flock map revealing over 300,000 cameras, defying cease-and-desist threats against creator — privacy-focused company hosts site on Swiss servers, says users have the right to know who’s recording them Is this a backup copy of Joshua Michael's Flock Surveillance Map? Proton AG, which provides privacy-focused services like Proton Mail and Proton VPN, has decided to host the Flock camera map that security researcher Joshua Michael built from leaked Flock data. While the original Flock Surveillance Map is still available online, its creator is facing legal threats from the company, especially after Flock sent the researcher a cease-and-desist letter. In addition, Michael’s website is accessible only from within the U.S., requiring users outside the country to use a VPN to access it. By contrast, Proton’s Flock camera map is easily accessible worldwide. Its location in Switzerland also makes it a little more complicated for the surveillance company to take legal action. Its move to preserve Michael’s work also follows the company’s privacy ethos. “You have a right to know who’s recording you when you leave home, especially when a private company controls the data and it’s unclear how law enforcement uses that information,” the company said. “This map lets you search by ZIP code to see where Flock’s license plate readers are located. Use it [to] make informed decisions about how you move through your own area and whether you need to reach out to your municipal leaders.” Flock and other automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) cameras are at the center of the privacy debate between law enforcement and citizens. While the former argues these machines help make communities safer, many of the latter worry about the technology's potential misuse. Their fears aren’t unfounded, either — there have already been multiple cases of police officers misusing Flock cameras to stalk romantic partners and even one case of mistaken identity due to a lapse in police procedure. However, Proton’s map is based on data from November 2025. This makes it more of a snapshot of the company’s network at that time, rather than a live map of Flock’s ALPR cameras. For a more up-to-date map, consider downloading MapQuest, which recently released an update showing the locations of ALPR cameras from Flock and other companies. This could help you plan your trip if you have privacy concerns and want to avoid getting picked up by an ALPR camera. Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News, or add us as a preferred source, to get our latest news, analysis, & reviews in your feeds. Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. Jowi Morales is a tech enthusiast with years of experience working in the industry. He’s been writing with several tech publications since 2021, where he’s been interested in tech hardware and consumer electronics.
Proton hosts Flock map revealing over 300,000 cameras, defying cease-and-desist threats against creator — privacy-focused company hosts site on Swiss servers, says users have the right to know who’s recording them Is this a backup copy of Joshua Michael's Flock Surveillance Map? Proton AG, which provides privacy-focused services like Proton Mail and Proton VPN, has decided to host the Flock camera map that security researcher Joshua Michael built from leaked Flock data. While the original Flock Surveillance Map is still available online, its creator is facing legal threats from the company, especially after Flock sent the researcher a cease-and-desist letter. In addition, Michael’s website is accessible only from within the U.S., requiring users outside the country to use a VPN to access it. By contrast, Proton’s Flock camera map is easily accessible worldwide. Its location in Switzerland also makes it a little more complicated for the surveillance company to take legal action. Its move to preserve Michael’s work also follows the company’s privacy ethos. “You have a right to know who’s recording you when you leave home, especially when a private company controls the data and it’s unclear how law enforcement uses that information,” the company said. “This map lets you search by ZIP code to see where Flock’s license plate readers are located. Use it [to] make informed decisions about how you move through your own area and whether you need to reach out to your municipal leaders.” Flock and other automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) cameras are at the center of the privacy debate between law enforcement and citizens. While the former argues these machines help make communities safer, many of the latter worry about the technology's potential misuse. Their fears aren’t unfounded, either — there have already been multiple cases of police officers misusing Flock cameras to stalk romantic partners and even one case of mistaken identity due to a lapse in police procedure. However, Proton’s map is based on data from November 2025. This makes it more of a snapshot of the company’s network at that time, rather than a live map of Flock’s ALPR cameras. For a more up-to-date map, consider downloading MapQuest, which recently released an update showing the locations of ALPR cameras from Flock and other companies. This could help you plan your trip if you have privacy concerns and want to avoid getting picked up by an ALPR camera. Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News, or add us as a preferred source, to get our latest news, analysis, & reviews in your feeds. Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. Jowi Morales is a tech enthusiast with years of experience working in the industry. He’s been writing with several tech publications since 2021, where he’s been interested in tech hardware and consumer electronics. - USAFRet TechieTwo said:Prosecute the perps and send them to prison. That's what laws are for.What perps? Reply - bit_user I've been using Proton Mail & Drive for a couple years now. Very nice service and worth the $, if you like privacy and peace of mind.Reply - kaiyulie USAFRet said:What perps?Exactly. If by "perps" he means the guy getting the C&D, that's just Flock saying they'll sue, not that it would necessarily go to any sort of criminal charges. He didn't steal the data. He simply published data that already existed in the public domain (ironically similar to what Flock is doing, except he did it for free??). If he means Proton, lololol fat chance of that happening since they're even farther removed from the situation. Even if he means the Flock folks, they're just selling data they're harvesting from the public, which while creepy and problematic for mass surveillance reasons, isn't illegal either. No one is getting in trouble here legally. The original publisher guy might be financially harmed by a lawsuit, but that would be as far as Flock can probably push that. Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer. I could also be very wrong about any of this. Reply - pattylabelle The article says that by looking at the camera map you could customize your trip so that they dont record you. Dont be ridiculous the cameras are positioned on major roads, if you modified your travels to avoid them you would spend your life jumping through bushes wearing a mask without a car.Reply - ravewulf pattylabelle said:The article says that by looking at the camera map you could customize your trip so that they dont record you. Dont be ridiculous the cameras are positioned on major roads, if you modified your travels to avoid them you would spend your life jumping through bushes wearing a mask without a car.That's where the "and whether you need to reach out to your municipal leaders" part comes in, to get them to cover or remove the cameras. Reply - Gustav_Kuriga TechieTwo said:Prosecute the perps and send them to prison. That's what laws are for.A good old 4th Amendment violation. Reply - Gustav_Kuriga kaiyulie said:Exactly. If by "perps" he means the guy getting the C&D, that's just Flock saying they'll sue, not that it would necessarily go to any sort of criminal charges. He didn't steal the data. He simply published data that already existed in the public domain (ironically similar to what Flock is doing, except he did it for free??). If he means Proton, lololol fat chance of that happening since they're even farther removed from the situation. Even if he means the Flock folks, they're just selling data they're harvesting from the public, which while creepy and problematic for mass surveillance reasons, isn't illegal either. No one is getting in trouble here legally. The original publisher guy might be financially harmed by a lawsuit, but that would be as far as Flock can probably push that. Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer. I could also be very wrong about any of this.The way police use Flock and its ilk is a 4th Amendment violation, always has been. The Constitution is being used like a cum rag these days. Reply - MobileJAD TechieTwo said:Prosecute the perps and send them to prison. That's what laws are for.Who exactly do you want sent to prison, the people who made the map showing where the cameras are located, or the people operating those cameras? Reply
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