Public Safety Cameras Expose Sensitive Vehicle Data Online

Daily Car

23/12/2025

A recent investigation has found large security holes in public safety camera systems including those sold by Flock Safety. The cameras were built to watch vehicles and to help keep the public safe - yet many of the devices sit on the open internet with no meaningful barrier. Anyone who knows the right web address can watch stored clips or the live stream - the feed shows ordinary street life, people on foot and the cars they drive. The result is a blunt invasion of privacy.

Key Takeaways

Public-safety cameras record far more than a license plate number - they store a long list of details about both the vehicle plus its occupants.
Because the streams and archives lack passwords or encryption, they are reachable by anyone on the internet.
Researchers have shown that the stored footage is rich enough to identify a person and to map that person's daily routine.
Several states have begun to question whether the cameras operate within the law - new rules but also court cases are starting to appear.

Unfettered Access To Your Vehicle's Movements

Automatic license plate readers and other safety cameras are now common on poles and street corners and their sales pitch is simple - safer roads. A report by Benn Jordan for 404 Media shows that the hardware is not nearly as secure as buyers expect. The cameras capture not only the plate but also the vehicle's brand, model, bumper stickers, dents as well as scratches. That footage is often posted to the open web with no login screen. A stranger who discovers the link can build a searchable diary of where a car travels day after day.

Beyond License Plates - A Detailed Vehicle Profile

The systems do far more than read plates - each time a car passes, the camera stores a full description - body style, paint colour, bumper stickers, window decals, dents and rust spots. The operator can watch the stream in real time or pull any past clip. Every routine trip - to work, to school, to the grocery store - can be replayed later. Civil-liberties groups argue that the practice builds a permanent dossier of lawful activity and that the files sit in the servers of private firms with no clear gatekeeper.

Regulatory Scrutiny And Legal Challenges

Flock Safety or similar vendors now face tighter oversight. In Texas, state troopers are examining whether the company ran its service without the required private investigator licence - the firm's security licence was briefly lifted after its insurance lapsed. Lawyers caution that such paperwork flaws can undermine future criminal trials and can cast doubt on the integrity of the vehicle data. In Washington State, a court declared the footage to be a public record - police in that jurisdiction responded - shutting the cameras off. The wider worry is that the lenses film every driver and the open door access to the footage gives hostile actors a ready made surveillance toolkit.

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