this post was submitted on 03 Sep 2026

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Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) are AI-powered cameras that capture and analyze images of all passing vehicles, storing details like your car’s location, date, and time. They also capture your car’s make, model, color, and identifying features such as dents, roof racks, and bumper stickers, often turning these into searchable data points. These cameras collect data on millions of vehicles—regardless of whether the driver is suspected of a crime. While these systems can be useful for tracking stolen cars or wanted individuals, they are mostly used to track the movements of innocent people.

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Cities are Replacing Flock with Axon / Motorola for their Mass Surveillance Network (cdn.social.linux.pizza)

submitted 2 months ago by CubitOom@infosec.pub to c/DeFlock@sh.itjust.works

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Flock Safety became the protested brand. Axon Enterprise now sells Outpost and Lightpost readers that livestream and feed Axon Fusus; Fleet cameras scan plates from patrol cars. Motorola Solutions bought VaaS for $445 million in 2019 and kept Vigilant Solutions and Digital Recognition Network. The vendor changes, the mass surveillance network remains.

Cameras are not the only issue with surveillance systems like these. These devices can also log Audio, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and RFID and other signals your devices broadcast. Then they fuse data collected without warrants with commercial data-broker records and "AI", to create a comprehensive database of everyone surveiled, who everyone is, what that are doing, and what they "will do".

These are not just cameras or license plate readers, this is a surveillance network. It's a violation of privacy and the 4th amendment, and we should not let this happen.

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[–] schipelblorp@sh.itjust.works 10 points 2 months ago (5 children)

https://bestfaradaybags.com/diy-faraday-bag/

Don´t forget your key fob.

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[–] waterSticksToMyBalls@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago (4 children)

Does it even matter if your car has tire pressure monitoring?

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[–] schipelblorp@sh.itjust.works 13 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Oh, if you are actually in your car, I'd give up any expectation of anonymonity. Just in case you're out walking. Also make sure to park a few blocks away at least from your destination if you're doing anything interesting.

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[–] Gullible@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 months ago (1 child)

I've heard that utilizing quick dry spray paint on a cheap bike, and a small outfit change is fairly good camouflage for people. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but these surveillance cameras don't have facial recognition, right?

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[–] schipelblorp@sh.itjust.works 6 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

The images can surely be sent somewheree that does facial recognition. What you want in that case is sunglasses that block IR. IPD--interpupillary distance--is a key number in facial recognition.

though at this point, it's probably all a lost cause.

you can probably have very limited comms anonymously at best these days, but the best you can hope for outside of that is not making it too easy.

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[–] blargh513@sh.itjust.works 8 points 2 months ago

There are white boxes mounted on poles all over the place. They aren't cameras. They were originally microwave traffic counters, but evolved to measure and collect all sorts of wireless data.

Each car that they spot, they can also grab passive WiFi data and Bluetooth. Probably others.

Your car probably has its own WiFi and Bluetooth, so unless its 20+ years old, you've been cataloged and tracked. Also, there are the devices you can see, but assume there are plenty you cannot.

Short of driving a very old car or maybe a motorcycle, you're being tracked. Even if you are driving something old, now you stick out as not being trackable. Unless there are a lot of other cars in this state, you'd be easy to find.

This whole situation is intolerable, but many people have no idea its even happening. Either that or they say something stupid like "I'm not doing anything interesting, why should I care?". Then a few months later, the systems get breached and scummy people can follow you, track your movement and do something to you or your loved ones. Maybe you should have cared.

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[–] atomicbocks@sh.itjust.works 9 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

It should be noted that Motorola Solutions is not the company that makes Motorola phones, that part of Motorola was sold off to Google ~10 years ago and then to Lenovo who currently own what is technically known as Motorola Mobility.

Edit to add more: When Google sold Motorola Mobility to Lenovo they retained most of the patents and a lot of the internal departments. For the most part Lenovo bought the manufacturing capabilities. This is why Google was able to lean into the Pixel line so fast and in all of that we ended up losing one of the coolest phone concepts ever.

[–] 0ops@piefed.zip 2 points 2 months ago

Isn't Motorola Chinese now? Or is "Motorola Solutions" a separate entity or something?

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[–] bitjunkie@lemmy.world 21 points 2 months ago (1 child)

Yes, clearly the brand name was what we had a problem with

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[–] Greg@discuss.tchncs.de 1 point 2 months ago

Monsanto is Bayer now and people completely forgot about all of that after the merger. Like if Bayer wanted to reduce price or something.

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[–] cAUzapNEAGLb@lemmy.world 16 points 2 months ago (3 children)

Hearing that grapheneOS is trusting their next gen hardware to motorola, meanwhile motorola is seemingly creating the next survilience state, isnt there an odd conflict of interest? Has graphene addressed that yet?

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[–] iloveakitas@lemmy.world 10 points 2 months ago (1 child)

motorola mobility is a different company from motorola solutions tho, mobility (thr one making the phones for gos) is owned by lenovo

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[–] cAUzapNEAGLb@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Oh are you saying its just a brand licensing?

Edit: seems so, went motorolla -> google -> arris/lenovo

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[–] 87Six@lemmy.zip 2 points 2 months ago

I think graphene os can't really afford that. They need motorola more than motorola needs them...

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[–] bridgeenjoyer@sh.itjust.works 11 points 2 months ago

Gotta keep us plebs surveilled for the incoming climate unrest.

[–] bdonvr@thelemmy.club 8 points 2 months ago (1 child)

Florida's recent announcement banning them from state funded roads includes all ALPRs.

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[–] tal@lemmy.today 3 points 2 months ago*

I'd like to have them not on the premises of private businesses open to the public too.

Like, having security cameras is fine for private businesses. If there's a break-in, you can look at the footage. Otherwise, it just gets wiped, unanalyzed. Having something that analyzes and logs all traffic by every person who passes through the gas station or whatever is not remotely necessary for that.

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