ELI5: Can Flock cameras track where you drive?

Yes, Flock cameras can track where you drive by taking pictures of your car and remembering the time and place they saw you.

Imagine you are playing a game of connect-the-dots on a giant map. Every time you drive past a Flock camera, it acts like a helper who spots your car and draws a dot on that map.

Here is how it works in everyday life:

• Taking a quick snapshot: When you drive past a pole with one of these cameras, it instantly snaps a picture of the back of your car.
• Reading your car's name tag: It reads your license plate, which is like a unique name tag for your vehicle. It also notes your car's color, make, and model.
• Saving the time and place: The system writes down the exact time, date, and street where it saw your car.
• Connecting the dots: If you drive past a camera near your house, another near the grocery store, and a third near your school, the computer puts those dots together. This shows a trail of where you went and when.

Police departments and neighborhood groups use this vehicle fingerprint to look for stolen cars or solve crimes. However, because thousands of these cameras exist in neighborhoods and shopping centers, driving through town means a computer system is quietly recording your path throughout the day.