According to a report posted Sept. 23 by online publication The Intercept (theintercept.com), a map built from Flock Safety’s own location data shows the company’s nationwide surveillance network is “substantially larger” than previously reported. The Intercept claimed this raises “new questions about the scope and security of the system.”
Using Flock’s own information, cybersecurity researcher Joshua Michael said he located more than 170,000 Flock cameras nationwide, plus more than 130,000 related devices. These 300,000plus devices include automated license plate readers, networking hardware that allows the monitoring of non-Flock cameras within Flock’s system, and approximately 27,000 locations for acoustic detection equipment.
According to The Intercept, Michael’s findings were cited last Wednesday during a U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism hearing currently examining Flock and its operations. The American Civil Liberties Union has also criticized Flock over transparency and privacy concerns.
Michael said he discovered the location information while examining Flock’s website in November 2025. According to The Intercept, he found that Flock servers were publicly exposing an access token that could be obtained without logging in. The token could then be used to query ArcGIS, a geographic information system platform used by Flock, to retrieve device locations.
Beginning Nov. 13, 2025, Michael reportedly notified Flock of its search vulnerability and said that after several messages, the company acknowledged his research and report. However, he claimed not to have received a further response. So, he downloaded the location data in December 2025 and published details of Flock’s vulnerability this past January.
The security issue was subsequently corrected, he said.
Flock, an Atlanta-based surveillance technology company widely used by law enforcement agencies, had stated earlier this summer that it operates more than 120,000 cameras nationwide, possibly referring only to proprietary installations. Though Flock does not release installation numbers, up to 13,000 Flock cameras are considered to be watching streets and highways throughout Georgia, with about 5,000 in Metro Atlanta alone.
Unlike crowdsourced mapping projects such as DeFlock (deflock. org), Michael said he created the Flock surveillance map using coordinates taken from a December 2025 snapshot of Flock’s own records.
His database identifies different types of Flock equipment, including the company’s Falcon cameras and Picard processing units. It also includes acoustic detection devices, and equipment used to integrate third-party cameras. In addition to roadside cameras, the map shows Flock devices at government facilities, airports, detention centers, and other locations nationwide.
The Intercept further reported that Michael was notified Sept. 24 of a trademark complaint seeking removal of his mapping site. The complaint apparently was filed by Doppel, a social engineering defense company that said it was acting on Flock’s behalf.