Flock Reportedly Tried to Turn Uber Drivers Into Mobile Snitches

AJ Dellinger· Aug 7, 2026 · 8:50 PM UTC ·2 min read · 0 reactions · 0 comments · 3 views

TL;DR · WeSearch summary

Flock Safety’s automatic license plate reader cameras have become targets of public ire and, increasingly, vandalism, with people stealing or destroying them in the dead of night. The theoretical deal would have used Nexar’s network of cameras to scan vehicle plates as drivers went about their business. Flock apparently suggested that it would create a network of more than 350,000 Uber, Lyft, and other delivery service drivers who would all serve as eyes for the company.

Key facts

▪Flock Safety’s automatic license plate reader cameras have become targets of public ire and, increasingly, vandalism, with people stealing or destroying them in the dead of night.
▪The theoretical deal would have used Nexar’s network of cameras to scan vehicle plates as drivers went about their business.
▪Flock apparently suggested that it would create a network of more than 350,000 Uber, Lyft, and other delivery service drivers who would all serve as eyes for the company.

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Gizmodo files mainly under tech. We currently carry 860 of its stories.

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Record

Original publisher	Gizmodo
Canonical URL	https://gizmodo.com/flock-reportedly-tried-to-turn-uber-drivers-into-mobile-snitches-2000796138
Publication time	Fri, 07 Aug 2026 20:50:06 +0000
Retrieval time	2026-08-07T20:55:43.845Z
Last seen	2026-08-07T20:55:43.845Z
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Excerpt method	First ~120 words (~800 chars) of extracted publisher body, fair-use limited.
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Publisher visit	Yes — open original
Substitutes article?	No — link-out required for full text

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Basis: Derived from the published RSS/Atom feed. Contact: [email protected]. Reviewed: 2026-07-24.

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Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand

Flock Safety’s automatic license plate reader cameras have become targets of public ire and, increasingly, vandalism, with people stealing or destroying them in the dead of night. The company at one point had a plan to keep its eyes open in a way that would be harder to detect, according to 404 Media: by equipping dashcams on rideshare and delivery vehicles with the ability to scan plates while on the…

Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Gizmodo.

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