MapQuest added a Surveillance Layer on Friday, an optional map filter that marks outdoor cameras and automated license plate readers, including Flock Safety’s. To turn it on, open Map Options in the app, where it sits next to the traffic and incidents layers. It is for anyone who wants to know which devices log their car along a route.
What is a license plate reader?
Automated license plate readers, or ALPRs, photograph passing cars and log the plate, the time and the place. According to The Next Web, police and private groups can search those records. Flock cameras are spreading across the US and facing growing pushback. The same outlet notes that a US judge ruled a police search of Flock data was unconstitutional mass surveillance.
What does MapQuest show on the map?
With the layer on, eye icons appear where cameras are, with each one’s field of view drawn around it, according to Digital Trends and MakeUseOf. The map covers devices from 11 makers: Flock Safety, Motorola Solutions (Vigilant), Genetec, Axis Communications, Axon, Leonardo (ELSAG), Neology, Rekor, PlateSmart, Ubicquia and Verkada. It also shows other reported outdoor cameras that are not tied to a named maker.
MapQuest promoted the launch with the line “The Roads Have Eyes!”, per The Next Web, and a video set to “Somebody’s Watching Me.”
Where does the data come from?
This is the murkiest part. The Next Web says camera locations are crowdsourced and that users can add devices they spot, as CarScoops reported. Engadget and Digital Trends do not explain how MapQuest built or verified its first set of points. MakeUseOf warns that the catalog will have gaps.
In practice, a missing icon does not prove there is no camera nearby, and an icon could be out of date.
Why now?
MapQuest is on a roll. According to The Next Web, downloads jumped in September, before this update. MakeUseOf says the service gained momentum after it declined to rename Lake Ontario, which pushed many Google Maps users to try alternatives and put the app at No. 1 on the US App Store. Since then MapQuest has added Android Auto support and public transit directions.
Who can use it?
The sources do not say which platforms, regions or plans have the layer. MakeUseOf shows Android screenshots and says the feature lives in the app. Since the data and the makers are American, it is most useful if you live in or travel through the US.
How do you turn it on?
- Open the MapQuest app.
- Go to Map Options.
- Switch on the Surveillance Layer, next to traffic and incidents.
What does it change?
Mapping cameras is not new. Crowdsourced projects already do it, and Gizmodo compares the data to a map built by volunteers, though MapQuest has not said where its own comes from. What is new is that it now sits inside a well-known navigation app, which puts the topic in front of far more people.
For everyday drivers the gain is information. Knowing your commute has plate readers helps you see how much of your travel gets recorded. If camera privacy at home matters to you too, see how other devices handle it, such as the Tapo 4K video doorbell with no subscription.
Another kind of device that records its surroundings is Amazon’s AI recorders, which we covered separately. Treat the map as a starting point. It shows that surveillance is there, but it does not tell you who runs each camera, how long the footage is kept or who gets to search it.
