Have You Been Flocked? Check Your Texas License Plate

TEXAS -- If you've been paying attention lately, there's a pretty good chance you've heard something about Flock cameras. You know, those automated license plate readers popping up in communities all over Texas?

Well, since apparently we didn't already have enough things to look up about ourselves on the interwebs, there's now a website where you can check whether someone using the Flock system has searched for your license plate.

It's called Have I Been Flocked? And yep, we thought it might be a good idea to know as soon as possible what this is about.

What Exactly Is Have I Been Flocked?

So what exactly are you looking at? The website has collected Flock audit logs obtained through public records requests. Those logs document searches performed by people using the Flock system, including searches for specific license plates, reports KHOU.

To be clear, this doesn't tell you every single time a Flock camera has seen or photographed your vehicle.

Finding Your Plate Doesn't Necessarily Mean You're Being Investigated

If your plate shows up on Have I Been Flocked, it means an operator actually queried the Flock database for that plate in one of the audio logs the website has obtained. And that operator isn't necessarily a police officer, nor does a search automatically mean you were under investigation. So, go ahead and breathe a little sigh of relief.

There's Another Pretty Big Catch

The other big caveat to consider? The database is incomplete, FYI. That's because not every government agency releases these records, and some of the records that are released are heavily redacted. So, if you search your plate and nothing comes up, that doesn't necessarily mean nobody has ever searched. Maybe take that little sigh of relief back. (I'm kidding, breathe. Meditate as needed.)

Why Are People Talking About Flock Cameras Right Now?

Flock cameras have become part of a much bigger national conversation over the balance between public safety and privacy.

Police departments say the technology can be enormously useful for things like locating stolen vehicles, finding missing people, and identifying suspects. At the same time, recent investigations have also uncovered cases in which law enforcement officers allegedly misused license-plate-reader systems, including to track women and former romantic partners.

In response to the ever-growing debate, Flock announced new safeguards this week, reports WESH, including shortening its default data-retention period and requiring additional auditing of searches.

Which brings us back to Have I Been Flocked? The site says it doesn't save or log the license plate number you enter. The search is performed, and the information you type is discarded. You can check yours at HaveIBeenFlocked.com.

Would you look up your own license plate? And if you discovered somebody had searched for it...would you actually want to know why? Let's chat at tara.holley@townsquaremedia.com.