No, there are no Flock cameras in Australia. Number-plate cameras already read and log Australian cars every day. That plate log can be personal data about you, and Australian law gives you some say over it.
A Flock camera is a plate-reading camera made by Flock Safety, a US company. It photographs passing cars, reads the number plate, and notes details such as colour, make and stickers. Each sighting is saved with the time and place in a searchable online record that police and others with access can look up later for tracking.
Quick answer:
In the US, police, homeowners’ associations and businesses install Flock cameras. They take still photos, not video. The cameras capture the plate and limited vehicle details such as make, colour and features like bumper stickers. They do not use facial recognition or identify who is inside the car.
Data is kept for about 30 days and can be shared. Flock has about 120,000 cameras across the US. The company says the data is encrypted, held for 30 days, and access is logged.
In August 2026, three former deputies in Bibb County, Georgia, were arrested after an internal Flock audit. They are alleged to have tracked people they had personal relationships with. Other US cases have involved officers searching plates linked to a partner or an ex.
No. Digital Rights Watch told SBS in August 2026 that Flock cameras are not currently used outside the US. Flock’s chief executive has named Australia’s eight police forces as a possible market, but the company has made no international moves to date. A public FOI request to WA Police about Flock, lodged in September 2026, came back with no information held. As of October 2026, there are no Flock cameras in Australia.
Australia already photographs number plates. Police, toll operators, councils and some private car parks use automatic number-plate recognition (ANPR) cameras. These systems create searchable records of where a car has been.
Two ANPR points can measure the time between them and calculate average speed. City toll roads photograph plates to bill an account, creating a location history of every gantry passed. The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator uses ANPR to flag trucks. Airports, shopping centres, strata complexes and warehouse gates often use ANPR for access or billing.
A camera on your own house is generally legal. A camera aimed into a neighbour’s yard or a bedroom can breach state surveillance laws.
The Australian Privacy Foundation has raised concerns on the growth of these systems and lack of public oversight.
These are the main number-plate recognition systems currently in Australia:
You can’t check Australian plates on “Have I Been Flocked”. It is a US-only website. You can however ask Australian operators what they hold.
Small businesses (<$3 million turnover) are usually outside the Privacy Act, so some may not have to answer.
No. As of October 2026 there are no Flock cameras in Australia. Australia already uses number-plate recognition cameras run by police, toll operators, councils and some private operators.
Australia uses ANPR, which stands for automatic number-plate recognition.
ANPR is already used by police and other operators across Australia. Whether a specific system meets privacy rules depends on who runs it and how the data is handled. This is general information only, not legal advice.
There is no single official public map of all ANPR cameras. DeFlock is a volunteer map that includes some Australian locations, but a pin is only a report from a volunteer.
No. A privacy phone does not hide a number plate from any camera. It only changes what the phone and its apps collect and share.
You can ask your state or territory police, or the AFP, through their FOI or information-access process.
No. Shopping-centre and car-park systems are separate from Flock. They create their own records. You can ask the operator what data it holds.
Australia does not have Flock cameras, but number-plate recognition is already in use across our states and territories. You can ask operators what data they hold and use the privacy and FOI processes that apply. The main concerns are the rapid expansion of these networks, who has access, for what reason, and who the data is shared with.
-> Discover 150+ Privacy Tools
-> See Privacy Phones
[Last updated: 29 October 2026. Educational only – not legal advice]
