Flock, a provider of in-car cameras for delivery and ride-sharing services, reportedly attempted to build a massive surveillance network by scanning license plates through driver dashcams. the company sought to partner with Nexar to leverage the cameras of over 350,000 Uber and Lyft drivers for continuous monitoring.
The 350,000-driver surveillance network that never was
Flock intended to turn the daily routes of ride-sharing and delivery drivers into a continuous scanning operation. By parntering with Nexar, the company aimed to use dashcams to identify vehicle plates even when drivers were not actively on a fare. As reported by the source, this would have allowed the cameras to remain functional and scanning while drivers went about their regular business, effectively turning every trip into a data-gathering mission.
This strategy would have effectively turned the gig economy into a decentralized, mobile surveillance fleet. Instead of relying on fixed roadside cameras, law enforcement could have leveraged the constant movement of delivery vehicles to track license plates across entire cities in real-time.
The scale of this proposed operation was immense, targeting a network of more than 350,000 individuals across platforms like Uber and Lyft.. While the partnership with Nexar ultimately did not come to fruition, the mere existence of such a plan highlights a growing appetite for pervasive, mobile data collection that operates in the background of everyday transit.
Nexar’s CityStream and the reality of data monetization
Nexar is already an established player in the vehicle data market through its existing data-collection projects.. According to the report, Nexar publishes CityStream, a real-time, user-generated map, and sells data collected from its dashcams to various third parties. While Nexar maintains that this data is anonymized, the integration with Flock would have added a significant layer of active law enforcement utility to that existing data stream, turning passive mapping into active plate-scanning.
A pattern of mobile monitoring from BusPatrol to Uber
The attempt to weaponize transit vehicles is part of a broader trend in mobile surveillance. For instance, the company BusPatrol, which uses cameras on school buses to monitor stop-sign compliance, also planned to allow law enforcement to scan license plates using their equipment.. This mirrors the current situation with Uber, which is attempting to build a massive robotaxi fleet while simultaneously trying to avoid a significant tech backlash regarding how its automated technology is deployed and monitored.
The unknown status of Uber and Lyft driver consent
Significant privacy gaps remain regarding whether the drivers involved would have been aware of the surveillance. It is currently unclear if Uber or Lyft drivers would have been notified that their dashcams were being utilized as a "snitch" network for Flock. The report notes that the scans might have occurred without any obvious indication to the driver that their footage was being shared with Flock and law enforcement. Furthermore, Flock has not responded to requests for additional information regarding these privacy concerns or the level of transparency intended for the drivers.
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