Theblaze iconTheblazeSep 18, 2026 ~1 min source read

Vandals got hold of a Flock camera — instead of destroying it, they revealed what's inside

Flock cameras are having a hard time identifying some objects and mistaking them for license plates. As the devices may be struggling to accomplish their most critical task, they seem to be identifying something else: people.

Vandals got hold of a Flock camera — instead of destroying it, they revealed what's inside

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Useful takeaways from this story.

Flock cameras are having a hard time identifying some objects and mistaking them for license plates.

What the data allegedly revealed is that software running on the device "explicitly detects people" as well as vehicles, license plates, and bicycles.

As the devices may be struggling to accomplish their most critical task, they seem to be identifying something else: people.

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The useful part

Flock cameras are having a hard time identifying some objects and mistaking them for license plates. As the devices may be struggling to accomplish their most critical task, they seem to be identifying something else: people. What the data allegedly revealed is that software running on the device "explicitly detects people" as well as vehicles, license plates, and bicycles.

How it works

  • Using a processor similar to that of a "midrange smartphone," around 20 built-in apps on the camera's processor handle a range of tasks like motion detection, taking pictures, uploading data, and receiving...
  • 'The detector cropped an American flag patch on the rider's saddlebag as if it were a plate.' Hackers recently ripped down a Flock license-plate reader camera that sat above a road, opened it up, and copied...
  • The outlets say that the device's code showed approximately 28-100 photos are taken when something moves into view, but the camera uses different exposures to capture the license and the expanded...
  • The data is then sent to Flock through the local cell phone network.
  • The camera itself allegedly does not identify the plate number, vehicle, mode...

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