Canadian YouTuber builds camera to track police vehicles: What to know

A YouTuber has reportedly received a surprise visit from the police over an automated license plate recognition (ALPR) camera he built to specifically track police cars using the same technology law enforcement uses to monitor ordinary citizens.

Anthony Sistilli says in a video posted on his channel that officers arrived at his house on September 20 to ask questions about the device and clarify his objectives for the project.

A Canadian software engineer and YouTuber, Sistilli pointed out the irony of the officers’ concerns explaining that they mirrored the concerns of private citizens who are growing increasingly weary of the surge in mass surveillance brought about by the mass installation of ALPR cameras.

The development triggered widespread public outcry with critics arguing that Flock has built a surveillance state without a public vote since any police department on the network can search across state lines.

Separately, ALPR video monitoring systems exist in Canada where Sistilli resides encouraging custom fabrication but this time he decided to track police cars. He detailed the build in several TikTok videos, describing it as a personal Flock surveillance camera to “flock the flockers.”

Sistilli further narrated stating, “One of them [the officers] took the time to specifically mention how scary it would be for them, because people would be able to find out where they lived, when they got on their shift and what they were doing throughout the day, and that that type of powerful information could put them personally at risk for any bad apples that might want to track them down.”