Preston Maness ☭<p>Recently heard about DeFlock:</p><p><a href="https://www.404media.co/the-open-source-project-deflock-is-mapping-license-plate-surveillance-cameras-all-over-the-world/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">404media.co/the-open-source-pr</span><span class="invisible">oject-deflock-is-mapping-license-plate-surveillance-cameras-all-over-the-world/</span></a></p><p>The <a href="https://tenforward.social/tags/AustinDSA" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>AustinDSA</span></a> <a href="https://tenforward.social/tags/DSA" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>DSA</span></a> tried to stop these things from cropping up in <a href="https://tenforward.social/tags/Austin" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Austin</span></a> <a href="https://tenforward.social/tags/atx" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>atx</span></a>, and failed (though they did keep retention times down IIRC).</p><p>Whelp. <a href="https://tenforward.social/tags/FortWorth" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>FortWorth</span></a>, where I live now, has plenty of open data sources and portals to dig through in search of ALPR stuff too. Which *did* lead me to a contract the city has maintained, since 2020, with Flock for 200+ <a href="https://tenforward.social/tags/ALPR" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ALPR</span></a> cameras, some new cameras (which Flock apparently gets to own/operate forever despite charging 2500 USD+ per camera) and some licenses for IP cameras to turn them into ALPRs (for these, presumably, they are for cameras the City of Fort Worth already owns/operates).</p><p>However, no maps of the cameras' locations are available in these online data portals. More interestingly, the required permits for Right of Way Encroachment don't appear available online either (there are some independent Flock deployments listed for various HOAs, but nothing from the 2020-2021 time-period when theses cameras first went up by the city that I could find). However however, the contract specifically states that such a map must be provided to the city by Flock, and integrated into its GIS, if requested. I'mma go out on a limb and assume that such a request has been made at least once in the last five or so years. So, I made a Public Information Request ( <a href="https://tenforward.social/tags/PIR" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>PIR</span></a> / <a href="https://tenforward.social/tags/FOIA" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>FOIA</span></a> ) for the info. Hopefully they already have it as shapefiles.</p><p>Then, I can get the data added to <a href="https://tenforward.social/tags/OpenStreetMap" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>OpenStreetMap</span></a> <a href="https://tenforward.social/tags/osm" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>osm</span></a>. Looks like cities near Fort Worth -- Burleson (S), Mansfield (SE), North Richland Hills (NE), Colleyville (NE) -- have some ALPRs mapped. But nothing in Fort Worth proper (or west of Fort Worth).</p><p><a href="https://tenforward.social/tags/dfw" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>dfw</span></a> <a href="https://tenforward.social/tags/Texas" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Texas</span></a> </p><p>Every day I remain unemployed is a day I will do everything in my power to be a pain in the ruling capitalist class's ass.</p>