MapQuest adds Surveillance Layer showing license plate reader locations
MapQuest has added a Surveillance Layer that users turn on from the Layers menu to see known automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras as small eyeball icons on the map. MapQuest said on Bluesky that the layer covers gear from Flock Safety, Motorola Solutions (Vigilant), Genetec, Axis Communications, Axon, Leonardo (ELSAG), Neology, Rekor, PlateSmart, Ubicquia, Verkada and other outdoor surveillance brands. A CNET reporter who tested it said tapping an icon shows the camera type, such as dome or fixed, and exact coordinates, but not the company that owns it; MapQuest did not say how it sourced the locations and did not respond to CNET's request for comment. Tom's Hardware reported the layer also shows which direction each camera faces.
The reports note there are more than 140,000 license plate readers across the US feeding law-enforcement databases, which civil liberties groups say creates a mass surveillance network; MapQuest's layer lets users see known camera locations near them.
The roads have eyes, and MapQuest can now show you where they are. The navigational app added a feature this week that lets you discover where Flock cameras and other automatic license plate readers are in your neighborhood and beyond.
In a post on Bluesky, MapQuest said its app shows locations of license plate readers from Flock and many other companies — Motorola Solutions (Vigilant), Genetec, Axis Communications, Axon, Leonardo (ELSAG), Neology, Rekor, PlateSmart, Ubicquia, Verkada and more.
To activate the feature, open the MapQuest app, tap the Layers icon and turn on the Surveillance option. You will then see tiny eyeballs on the map that indicate where license plate readers are located. If you click on an eyeball, it will show what type of license plate reader it is — dome or fixed, for example — and the exact coordinates.
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