The Government Is Monitoring Anti-Flock TikTok and Instagram Accounts

Government surveillance centers are monitoring viral anti-Flock Instagram posts, informing section constabulary astir upcoming DeFlock events including 1 scheduled to commencement adjacent week, and person told cops to “increase patrols astir ALPR [automatic licence sheet readers]” arsenic backlash to Flock grows, according to authorities intelligence bulletins obtained utilizing nationalist records requests. The documents besides pass astir devices “that could beryllium utilized to place the locations of Flock cameras.”

Investigative journalist Dan Boguslaw first published respective fusion halfway bulletins astir DeFlock, a crowdsourced representation of ALPR cameras. 404 Media has now obtained 4 much caller rule enforcement briefings informing constabulary to surveil aliases beef up patrols of areas wherever Flock cameras are located (the documents are embedded below). These briefings archive instances of Flock vandalism and warn, specifically, astir the DeFlock “National Week of Action Against Automated License Plate Readers,” which is fundamentally a bid of nationalist meetings and protests astir the dangers of wide surveillance.

In sum, the documents show that local, state, and national rule enforcement are monitoring anti-Flock activists and are trying to necktie together group who politically reason wide surveillance pinch vigilantes who destruct Flock cameras. 404 Media obtained the documents done a nationalist records enactment request.

Fusion centers are information-sharing partnerships betwixt local, state, and national authorities rule enforcement agencies. The documents Boguslaw and 404 Media obtained are “intelligence bulletins,” which are briefings to rule enforcement astir circumstantial threats. The information is compiled by individual fusion centers successful a authorities and past shared much widely. Many of the documents are marked “Law Enforcement Sensitive.” 

A caller fusion halfway informing from the Colorado Information Analysis Center notes “people person begun utilizing the [DeFlock] app to find and past destruct aliases disable the ALPRs. Multiple nationalist accounts are posting videos of individuals vandalizing these cameras, adding momentum to the online sermon and influencing others to do the same.” That bulletin highlights a circumstantial Instagrammer, called Nomark.Project, that is “posting regular videos of himself taking down/disabling Flock Security cameras ‘until they’re each gone.’ Comments connected these videos show support for this individual’s actions.” That aforesaid bulletin besides says neo-Nazi accelerationists encouraged the demolition of Flock cameras, but the telephone to action seems to person quickly dissipated: “Over the past 2 months, the neo-Nazi accelerations group Private Aryan Resistance began recruiting members connected neo-Nazi forum Fash Front to sabotage Flock cameras. The group has since mislaid traction, but it shows that home convulsive extremist threat actors are besides pursuing DeFlock efforts.” There is nary denotation successful the archive that neo-Nazis really did target Flock cameras.

Another bulletin, from the Wisconsin Statewide Intelligence Center via the Northeast Florida Fusion Center, notes, “there is extended and ongoing chatter connected societal media platforms specified arsenic Facebook and TikTok regarding various methods to interfere pinch aliases physically destruct Flock LPR cameras aliases discuss their connectivity.” In particular, it adds that “On June 25th, 2026 University of South Florida Police Department located a instrumentality during a postulation extremity that could beryllium utilized to place the locations of Flock cameras. Additional investigation wished that the driver is actively progressive successful the DeFlock activity and has written software, that was made disposable connected the internet, to scan and find vulnerabilities successful net connected devices.” 

DeFlock is an unfastened source, crowdsourced map of ALPR cameras created by a man named Will Freeman. DeFlock was created to show really wide ALPR cameras are successful the United States, and the “DeFlock movement” is simply a very loose word for a bid of section organization activists who person knowledgeable themselves astir Flock surveillance and person asked their section politicians to see ending their contracts pinch Flock. 

DeFlock has organized a “National Week of Action Against Automated License Plate Readers” for August 16-22. This Week of Action is governmental successful nature, and includes accusation sessions, marches, and talking points for group who are asking their section communities to see ending surveillance contracts. DeFlock describes the arena arsenic “a assortment of nationalist meetings, townhalls, and different events intended to raise consciousness astir the usage of ALPRs successful their communities, the harms of these cameras, and really we tin activity together to extremity their use.”

The fusion halfway documents besides database circumstantial cities that person signed up for the DeFlock Week of Action; for example, a July 28 bulletin from the North Florida Fusion eXchange notes 11 cities successful Florida that “have already signed up to participate.” 

“In summation to DeFlock’s telephone to action, different online groups and individuals are encouraging the demolition of ALPRs and are sharing strategies and techniques done societal media by providing elaborate instructions connected really to harm aliases disable ALPR cameras, poles, and star panels,” the bulletin reads. 

Freeman told 404 Media that DeFlock has ne'er called for vandalism of Flock cameras.

“DeFlock has ne'er called for disabling cameras aliases covering licence plates, contrary to what caller rule enforcement bulletins claim. DeFlock is simply a grassroots task that started successful 2024, focused connected maintaining a nationalist representation of surveillance infrastructure and encouraging civic engagement specified arsenic contacting section representatives, hosting nationalist consciousness events for illustration scavenger hunts, and acquisition outreach. This has worked for astir 2 years, pinch complete 100 contracts canceled done morganatic nationalist engagement,” Freeman said. “Some of the activity referenced successful these bulletins originates from accounts utilizing the DeFlock sanction without our authorization.”

Vandalizing Flock cameras “wasn’t overmuch of a point until for illustration a period agone erstwhile it became popular,” Freeman added. “Definitely caused by group connected societal media who aren’t us. I deliberation it conscionable shows that group are independently upset astatine the installation of these without their knowledge aliases consent. I effort to beryllium arsenic neutral arsenic imaginable pinch DeFlock and fto group travel to their ain conclusions. I moreover changed the connection connected the tract from ‘You’re being tracked!’ to ‘an unfastened root task mapping ALPRs.’ For the astir part, the thought of these upsets almost everyone.” 

There person been astir a fewer twelve instances of Flock cameras being destroyed, vandalized, disabled, aliases having their poles trim down. The North Florida Fusion eXchange bulletin adds: “On July 25, 2026, an individual utilizing the Instagram sanction ‘Thepatrioticgoy’ posted a video wherever he claims to beryllium a erstwhile Flock Safety worker and gives elaborate instruction connected really to disable Flock cameras and debar discovery astatine the aforesaid time.” In the video itself, the man describes himself arsenic a “Former Flock Safety section tech.”

The bulletin past lists 7 instances of Flock cameras being damaged aliases removed successful Florida. “As online calls for the demolition of ALPRs proceed to increase, it is apt that [northern Florida] could acquisition an summation successful the vandalization of ALPR cameras, poles, and star panels. This bulletin is being provided for situational consciousness and to promote rule enforcement to stay vigilant erstwhile watching aliases responding to suspicious activity adjacent ALPR sites.” 

Boguslaw’s earlier report showed that fusion centers were informing constabulary astir “calls for vandalism to ALPRs nationwide” from “the DeFlock movement, an online grassroots group opposing ALPR, [which] utilizes societal media platforms to promote supporters to disable aliases evade these systems by destroying cameras and covering licence plates.” 

404 Media obtained documents from the Central Florida Intelligence Exchange, the Wisconsin Statewide Intelligence Center, the New Jersey State Police, the Colorado Information Analysis Center, the North Florida Fusion eXchange, and a summary of a 404 Media article astir DeFlock that was sent to a listserv of FBI office employees. We obtained the documents from the New Mexico All Source Intelligence Center, meaning the warnings are circulating wide wrong rule enforcement successful the United States; the New Jersey document, for example, was disseminated to a “nationwide ALPR moving group and authorities fusion centers.”

A Flock Safety spokesperson told 404 Media “Damaging nationalist information instrumentality is forbidden and puts communities astatine risk, which is why we powerfully condemn this type of behavior.”

“Overall, we person seen fewer reports of vandalism against Flock equipment. When it does happen, we activity straight pinch rule enforcement to analyse damaged aliases stolen cameras,” they added. “People person each correct to make their voices heard, but criminal acts should ne'er beryllium portion of that process. Damaging nationalist information instrumentality yet hurts the very communities this exertion is location to thief protect.”