MapQuest has introduced a "Surveillance Layer" to its mobile navigation app, which displays the crowdsourced locations of outdoor surveillance cameras and automated license plate readers (ALPRs). The new feature, promoted with the tagline "The Roads Have Eyes!", allows users to see the reported positions of hardware from over ten companies, including prominent ALPR provider Flock Safety, as well as Motorola Solutions, Axon, and others.
The feature can be toggled on within the app's map options, showing camera locations with eyeball icons on the map. This move comes amid a broader public debate over the proliferation of surveillance technology and its use by law enforcement. The data for the new layer is reportedly sourced from the open-source OpenStreetMap project, relying on user contributions to identify camera locations.