Here’s where flock of controversial ‘Big Brother’ surveillance cameras are in NYC

Nypost · Aug 18, 2026 · 680 words · By Brandon Cruz; Haley Brown; Matt Troutman

Government Surveillance Privacy rights Class Disparity

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What to know about Government Surveillance

Here’s where flock of controversial ‘Big Brother’ surveillance cameras are in NYC See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 8

Techniques found 2

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center75%

Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Here’s where flock of controversial ‘Big Brother’ surveillance cameras are in NYC See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The New York Post on Google What the Flock?

Common ground

Controversial Flock surveillance cameras are nowhere to be found in New York City, but a flock of online users is still squawking about similar “Big Brother” tech on the street.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Name Calling / Labeling: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Government Surveillance story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Controversial Flock surveillance cameras are nowhere to be found in New York City?
How does this story connect Government Surveillance with Privacy rights over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/08/18/us-news/heres-where-flock-of-controversial-big-bro…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 90% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Name Calling / Labeling 80% confidence

Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.

Why it matters: Recognizing name calling / labeling helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 8 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 5

check_circle Corroborated 3

info

Claim 1: “Controversial Flock surveillance cameras are nowhere to be found in New York City”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence shows Flock cameras in Albany and other NY towns, but does not explicitly confirm or deny their absence in NYC. One search result mentions a 'backlash against Flock hit the Big Apple' after a report highlighted DeFlock, but doesn't explicitly state they are 'nowhere to be found'.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Flock Group Inc., doing business as Flock Safety, is a privately held American manufacturer and operator of surveillance hardware and software, particularly automated license plate recognition (ALPR),…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flock_Safety

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States. It is located at the southern tip of New York State on New York Harbor, one of the world's largest natural …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Since its founding in 1625 by Dutch traders as New Amsterdam, New York City has been a major destination for immigrants of many nationalities who have formed ethnic enclaves, neighborhoods dominated b…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_ethnic_enclaves

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 2: “The department’s expanded Domain Awareness System... rolled out to every police precinct in 2013.”

CORROBORATED

Wikipedia confirms the existence of the Domain Awareness System (DAS) as a partnership between the NYPD and Microsoft. A web search result explicitly states it was 'rolled out to every police precinct in 2013'.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Domain Awareness System, the largest digital surveillance system in the world, is part of the Lower Manhattan Security Initiative in partnership between the New York Police Department and Microsof…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domain_Awareness_System

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The City of New York Police Department, also known as the New York City Police Department (NYPD), is the primary law enforcement agency within New York City as per the NYC Charter. Established on May …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_Police_Departmen…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The New York City Police Department (NYPD) actively monitors public activity in New York City, New York, United States. Historically, surveillance has been used by the NYPD for a range of purposes, in…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_surveillance_in_New_Yor…

info

Claim 3: “a law firm’s list of license plate readers showed several on the Upper West Side.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for this claim includes a general description of DeFlock, a weather forecast for NYC, and a general page on license plates, none of which mention a law firm's list of readers on the Upper West Side.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Find license plate readers (LPRs) near you.Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs or LPRs) are AI-powered cameras that capture and analyze images of all passing vehicles, storing details like your car…
https://deflock.org/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Be prepared with the most accurate 10-day forecast for New York City, New York with highs, lows, chance of precipitation from The Weather Channel and Weather.com...
https://weather.com/us/new-york/city/new-york-city/tenday

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web search NEUTRAL — License Plates of the World...
http://www.worldlicenseplates.com/

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Claim 4: “the NYPD funnels license plate reader data into the Domain Awareness System, making New Yorkers’ locations... trackable and searchable for a mind-boggling five years”

SINGLE SOURCE

While multiple sources confirm the NYPD uses LPRs and the Domain Awareness System, the specific claim regarding the 'five year' retention period is not corroborated by the provided evidence.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Communication problems and successes played an important role during the September 11 attacks in 2001 and their aftermath. Systems were variously destroyed or overwhelmed by loads greater than they we…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communication_during_the_Septe…

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 5: “the city’s vast network of license plate readers maintained by the city Department of Transportation, MTA and, most controversially, NYPD.”

SINGLE SOURCE

Only one provided web search result (Pulptastic) explicitly mentions the network of license plate readers maintained by the DOT, MTA, and NYPD. Other sources confirm the existence of the agencies but not this specific combined network.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is a public benefit corporation in New York State responsible for public transportation in the New York City metropolitan area. The MTA is the largest p…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_Transportation_Au…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system in New York City, serving four of the city's five boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. It is owned by the government of New York Cit…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_Subway

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The New York City Transit Authority (also known as NYCTA, the TA, or simply Transit, and branded as MTA New York City Transit) is a public-benefit corporation in the U.S. state of New York that operat…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_Transit_Authorit…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 6: “Their website states their data is compiled by volunteers using open-source information.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web sources confirm that DeFlock's data is compiled by volunteers using open-source information.

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web search NEUTRAL — The Short Version. DeFlock is a separate, volunteer-run project, not part of this site. State of Surveillance does not host a camera map. DeFlock's map lives at maps.deflock.org[9]. It describes itsel…
https://stateofsurveillance.org/guides/basic/what-is-deflock…

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web search NEUTRAL — Opinion. Entertainment. Open sub menu.DeFlock did not respond to The Post’s multiple requests for a response to the NYPD’s claims. Their website states their data is compiled by volunteers using open-…
https://nypost.com/2026/08/18/us-news/heres-where-flock-of-c…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Find the Flock cameras near you. Our live camera map — powered by the open-source, volunteer-run DeFlock project (we support their work; we’re an independent brand, not affiliated) — shows every repor…
https://deflocktheusa.com/

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Claim 7: “DeFlock — an app that maps automated license plate readers from the company and other vendors.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web sources confirm that DeFlock is an open-source project/app that maps ALPRs from Flock and other vendors.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A Flock of Seagulls is the debut studio album by the English new wave band A Flock of Seagulls, released in April 1982 by Jive Records. It hit No. 10 on the US Billboard 200 and No. 32 on the UK Album…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Flock_of_Seagulls_(album)

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Julius Timothy Flock (May 11, 1924 – March 31, 1998) was an American stock car racer. He was a two-time NASCAR series champion. His brothers Bob and Fonty Flock also raced in NASCAR, as did his sister…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Flock

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 8: “various Long Island communities do [contract with Flock] — such as the Village of Hempstead, where roughly 75 cameras scan its 3.7-square-mile area”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence provided for this claim consists of search results for 'Floor-Barre' (ballet), which are completely irrelevant to Flock surveillance cameras or the Village of Hempstead.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — About 40 years ago, ballet teacher Zena Rommett invented a technique she called "Floor-Barre" in which dancers lie on the floor and perform the basic ballet exercises that are typically done standing …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floor-Barre

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web search NEUTRAL — Jan 29, 2025 · Floor barre is a powerful tool for beginners as it provides a supportive and non-intimidating environment to start learning the fundamentals of ballet. It allows new dancers to focus on…
https://balletwithisabella.com/insights/what-is-floor-barre-…

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web search NEUTRAL — Sep 14, 2025 · In this video, I’ll show you how to do traditional ballet barre exercises on the floor.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HC8U1nwnxc

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.