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MapQuest Adds Surveillance Layer to Avoid Flock Cameras
· Confirmed
In Short: MapQuest, once overshadowed by Google Maps, has launched a new feature called the Surveillance Layer, which identifies the locations of outdoor surveillance cameras and automated license plate readers (ALPRs) on its maps.
MapQuest, once overshadowed by Google Maps, has launched a new feature called the Surveillance Layer, which identifies the locations of outdoor surveillance cameras and automated license plate readers (ALPRs) on its maps.
The Surveillance Layer, announced on Bluesky, highlights the presence of ALPRs from companies like Flock Safety, Motorola Solutions, Genetec, and others.
According to Gizmodo, MapQuest may be sourcing its data from DeFlock and the OpenStreetMap project, which maintain user-submitted maps of ALPR camera locations.
Gizmodo quotes an unnamed source saying, 'Going to the doctor. Flock knows. Dropping your kid off at school. Flock is tracking you.' This reflects growing concerns about the misuse of surveillance technology.
MapQuest’s new tool comes amid a nationwide backlash against ALPRs, with intense scrutiny on Flock, including a recent Senate inquiry.
Flock’s CEO has defended the company’s partnerships with law enforcement and city governments, stating that only a small number of bad actors have abused its technology.
The Surveillance Layer is available in the MapQuest app and can be activated with a toggle, similar to how the app turns on overlays for traffic and reported road incidents.
Users can enable the Surveillance Layer by opening MapQuest, tapping Map Options, and enabling the layer.
While the Surveillance Layer aims to help users avoid surveillance cameras, it is important to note that the layer covers reported locations and may not provide a complete account of all operating cameras.
MapQuest’s new feature is part of its push to become the official map and navigation platform of the resistance, as Gizmodo reports.
The company’s decision not to comply with the Trump administration’s “Lake America” gimmick and its customizable map feature that allowed users to rename geographical areas have also contributed to its recent popularity.
What this adds
MapQuest’s Surveillance Layer is an optional feature that users can toggle on or off within the app’s map controls.
The company did not specify how it sources its data, but it appears to be similar to the data amassed by DeFlock, which maintains a user-submitted map of ALPR camera locations.
The Surveillance Layer is designed to help users avoid surveillance cameras, but it does not guarantee a complete account of all operating cameras.
What's confirmed
- Per MapQuest, its new tool will identify the locations of known outdoor surveillance cameras and plate readers from Motorola Solutions (Vigilant), Genetec, Axis Communications, Axon, Leonardo (ELSAG), Neology, Rekor, PlateSmart, Ubicquia, Verkada, and others.
What's still developing
- MapQuest was great at helping us getting around… 20 years ago, before Google Maps arrived, anyway.
- Between concerns of police misuse and incorrectly targeting the wrong drivers, Flock is showing up on a lot of people’s naughty list.
- Is life in 2026 feeling sufficiently dystopian for you?
- Surveillance cameras in public have been ubiquitous since early this century, but recently those equipped with automated license plate recognition (ALPR), like popular models from Flock, have been finding themselves in the news.
- While the likes of Apple Maps and Google Maps obsequiously complied, MapQuest isn’t playing with that kind of nonsense.
- But from all that horrible mess, one savior has emerged to offer a beacon of hope — just who would have ever thought it would be MapQuest?
- If that already resonated with you, MapQuest is following it up with another move we think you’ll like.
- If you’d rather have as little of that in your life as possible, MapQuest has you covered, announcing a new Surveillance Layer for its maps over on Bluesky: Granted, once you see just how many cameras are out there (and let’s try not to think about how many might have escaped MapQuest’s attention), perhaps avoiding them isn’t really an option.
- Gizmodo has reached out to MapQuest for additional information and will update when we hear back.
- MapQuest’s app has gotten shockingly popular over the last few months, despite otherwise being left for dead as a relic of the Web 1.0 era.
- The otherwise forgotten MapQuest saw a massive surge in downloads following its act of resistance, spiking to the top spot in the Apple App Store and recording millions of downloads.
- The navigation software — which debuted in 1996 and was later eclipsed by competitor Google Maps — is currying favor with new users by taking a hard line against Flock cameras.