TL;DR
Privacy advocates and independent researchers are mounting technical and legal challenges to surveillance systems used by US immigration enforcement, with a particular focus on Flock's automated license plate readers. Projects range from adversarial stickers and open-source mapping to lawsuits and app-based reporting, while questions about access, security, and platform moderation persist.
What happened
Digital privacy groups and independent researchers have assembled a range of countermeasures aimed at Immigration and Customs Enforcement's surveillance capabilities. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has highlighted several grassroots projects targeting automated license plate readers (ALPRs) operated by Flock, which runs a large national camera network and has been reported to sometimes share footage with ICE. A YouTuber demonstrated printing tiny adversarial patterns to stick on license plates that confuse machine readers, and also disclosed numerous misconfigured Flock cameras that exposed admin interfaces and live feeds. Open-source efforts such as deflock.me have cataloged more than 61,000 readers, while alpr.watch monitors public meeting agendas for discussion of ALPRs and maps where those discussions occur. Community apps like Stop ICE Alerts, ICEOUT.org and ICEBlock let users report sightings; Apple removed ICEBlock from its store, and the app's developer has filed a lawsuit naming federal and state officials. EFF has also filed a Freedom of Information Act suit seeking records of government requests to remove immigration-related apps and sites.
Why it matters
- Surveillance networks like ALPRs collect wide-ranging location data that can be accessed by law enforcement agencies, raising civil liberties concerns.
- Technical countermeasures and public mapping increase transparency and empower communities to monitor and respond to local surveillance deployments.
- Tensions between tech platforms, civil liberties groups and government agencies are shaping access to tools used for reporting or resisting enforcement actions.
- Security lapses in camera networks can expose sensitive live feeds and administrative access, creating additional privacy and safety risks.
Key facts
- Flock operates one of the largest automated license plate reader camera networks in the U.S.
- U.S. Senator Ron Wyden and other investigators say ICE has, at times, gained access to Flock footage.
- A content creator demonstrated using small printed adversarial overlays on plates intended to break automated recognition systems; applying such alterations is illegal in California and some other states.
- The same researcher reported finding hundreds of misconfigured Flock cameras that exposed non-password-protected admin interfaces and live video to the public internet.
- Deflock.me has mapped over 61,000 license plate readers in the United States.
- Alpr.watch scans meeting agendas for terms like 'flock,' 'license plate reader,' and 'alpr' and maps where relevant meetings occur, with email alerts available.
- Community reporting tools named in the reporting include Stop ICE Alerts, ICEOUT.org, and ICEBlock.
- Apple removed ICEBlock from the App Store; its developer, Joshua Aaron, sued multiple officials alleging First Amendment violations.
- The Electronic Frontier Foundation has filed a FOIA lawsuit seeking federal records of communications with tech companies about removing immigration-related apps and websites.
- An app called Eyes Up was banned by Apple in October but remained available on Google Play at the time of reporting.
What to watch next
- Legal outcomes of lawsuits mentioned in the reporting, including the developer's suit over app removal and EFF/ACLU litigation — not confirmed in the source.
- Whether companies or municipalities remediate the misconfigurations in Flock cameras highlighted by researchers — not confirmed in the source.
- Any policy changes at major app stores affecting reporting or surveillance-mitigation tools — not confirmed in the source.
Quick glossary
- ALPR (Automated License Plate Reader): A camera system that captures images of vehicle license plates and uses software to extract plate numbers and related metadata for storage and searching.
- Adversarial overlay: A deliberately designed pattern or modification intended to confuse or mislead machine-learning models, reducing their ability to correctly classify or read input.
- FOIA (Freedom of Information Act): A U.S. law that allows the public to request access to records from federal agencies, subject to certain exemptions.
- Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF): A nonprofit organization that advocates for civil liberties in the digital world, including privacy, free expression, and transparency.
Reader FAQ
Can license plate overlays legally prevent ALPRs from reading my plate?
The source notes a creator showed overlays that disrupt recognition but also says applying such alterations is illegal in California and some other states.
Does ICE have access to Flock's camera footage?
According to reporting cited by Senator Ron Wyden and others, ICE has sometimes been able to access Flock footage.
What tools exist to find where license plate readers are deployed?
Open-source projects such as deflock.me have mapped tens of thousands of readers, and alpr.watch tracks public meetings and maps potential deployments.
Was an app to report ICE sightings removed from app stores?
Apple removed ICEBlock from its App Store; the developer has filed a lawsuit. An app called Eyes Up was also banned by Apple but remained on Google Play at the time of reporting.
SECURITY 1 How hackers are fighting back against ICE surveillance tech Remember when government agents didn't wear masks? Jessica Lyons Fri 9 Jan 2026 // 21:03 UTC While watching us now seems like the…
Sources
- How hackers are fighting back against ICE surveillance tech
- How Hackers Are Fighting Back Against ICE
- ICE Wants to Go After Dissenters as well as Immigrants
- Worried about surveillance, states enact privacy laws and …
Related posts
- Iran’s complete internet shutdown reaches 24 hours amid nationwide protests
- Scenes from the anti-ICE march in New York City after Renee Good’s killing
- SendGrid emails claiming ICE or BLM footers are phishing, not real