Soccer fans converging on US stadiums for the **FIFA World Cup** this June will be under an unprecedented level of surveillance. A recent investigation by WIRED uncovered 1,181 automatic license plate reader (ALPR) cameras within a five-mile radius of the 11 US host stadiums. Most of these ALPRs are manufactured by **Flock Safety**, a company that provides roadside cameras to municipalities, businesses, schools, and private organizations like homeowners associations. ### How ALPRs Work ALPRs continuously log license plates of passing vehicles. Beyond just license numbers, some systems can collect additional data such as vehicle make, model, year, and even bumper sticker descriptions, according to a market survey report prepared for the **US Department of Homeland Security (DHS)**. Operators of these camera networks can query these logs to track specific vehicles, building detailed dossiers of a vehicle's movements over time. **Flock Safety** specifically allows operators to share their data across their network, potentially integrating drivers into a national surveillance grid. ### Flock Safety's Stance and Data Control **Paris Lewbel**, a spokesperson for **Flock Safety**, confirmed the company's collaboration with government agencies and other customers in areas surrounding World Cup venues. Lewbel emphasized that **Flock Safety** customers, not the company itself, "own and control their data, decide if, when, and with whom to share it." In contrast, **Andrew Elvish**, VP of global marketing for **Genetec**, a company selling ALPR software, stated their focus is on parking management rather than excessive access to aggregated license plate data. He acknowledged the public's rightful concerns about such practices. ### Documented Abuses and Privacy Concerns ALPRs are powerful surveillance tools with a documented history of abuse. Police officers have reportedly used them to stalk individuals. In 2025, **US Customs and Border Protection (CBP)** was found to be in violation of Illinois state law for accessing **Flock Safety** data, a finding highlighted by Illinois' secretary of state. Furthermore, 404 Media reported instances of **Flock Safety** employees allegedly accessing cameras in sensitive locations, including a children's gymnastics room, as part of sales demonstrations. **Flock Safety** responded in a blog post, stating employees were not "spying on children" but were "well-intentioned employees who accessed a camera network with the city's explicit permission, as part of their job." Lewbel acknowledged a "very small number of incidents of abuse" and clarified that **Flock Safety** does not have a direct relationship with the **DHS**, including **CBP**. They also stated that agencies outside of Illinois must confirm compliance with Illinois law before accessing Illinois data. **Tracey Ades**, a senior director of marketing for **Genetec**, stressed the need for legislation to limit what can be done with these powerful tools, underscoring that while companies strive for safety, the ultimate deployment is in the customers' hands. ### Community Pushback and Activism Across the US, communities are actively pushing back against ALPR deployment and demanding greater transparency. Activists have successfully obtained audit logs, revealing who searched for license plates and why, compiling this data into searchable databases like "Have I Been Flocked?" ( Dozens of cities have terminated contracts with ALPR providers, and groups are organizing a national week of action against ALPRs in August. The WIRED investigation itself leveraged data from a volunteer mapping project, **DeFlock**, to identify ALPR locations near World Cup stadiums, though it acknowledges the crowdsourced nature may not capture every camera.