Canadian YouTuber builds 'Flock-like' camera to exclusively track police vehicles

What happened

A YouTuber has received an unexpected visit from the police over an automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) camera he built to specifically track police cars, using the same technology law enforcement has infamously used to track ordinary citizens. Canadian YouTuber Anthony Sistilli says police questioned him after he built an ALPR camera designed to track police vehicles, leading to an ironic discussion over the privacy risks of mass license-plate surveillance.

In a video posted to his channel on October 7, Anthony Sistilli says two police officers showed up at his doorstep on September 20th to ask questions about the device, asking what his intentions were with the project. Sistilli, a Canadian software engineer and YouTuber, pointed out the irony of the officers' concerns, explaining that they mirror the privacy concerns of ordinary citizens who are growing increasingly weary of the recent spike in blanket surveillance brought about by a mass installation of ALPR cameras.