{"id":16499,"date":"2026-08-17T20:01:54","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T20:01:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=16499"},"modified":"2026-08-17T20:01:54","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T20:01:54","slug":"is-yosemite-scanning-your-license-plate-with-flock-cameras","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=16499","title":{"rendered":"Is Yosemite Scanning Your License Plate With Flock Cameras?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"justify-start\">\n<nav class=\"align-left col-span-full mb-base\" data-pom-e2e-test-id=\"breadcrumbs\"\/>\n<p>DeFlock claims that Yosemite National Park has installed the controversial surveillance technology. The NPS says the cameras are part of a system to monitor congestion and parking. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/p>\n<p class=\"fp-leadCaption py-tight text-left font-utility text-utility3-size leading-utility3-line-height text-secondary\">Amid a summer of overcrowding and traffic concerns, the park\u2019s website says the cameras are license-plate readers designed to reduce wait times<!-- --> (Photo: San Francisco Chronicle\/Hearst Newspapers via Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-body\">\n<p>Published August 17, 2026 01:54PM<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Is Yosemite National Park using Flock cameras?<\/p>\n<p>A crowdsourced organization that compiles locations of surveillance cameras around the United States recently reported that there were at least five cameras inside Yosemite.<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"http:\/\/DeFlock.org\">DeFlock.org<\/a>, a volunteer-run project that lets anyone add camera locations to a public map, tracks automated license plate readers across the country. The group created its database in response to the camera company <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flocksafety.com\/\">Flock<\/a>, a brand that sits at the center of a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/02\/17\/nx-s1-5612825\/flock-contracts-canceled-immigration-survillance-concerns\">national debate<\/a> over plate-reader data sharing.<\/p>\n<p>Data compiled by DeFlock show at least five pins that appear to be within Yosemite\u2019s park boundaries.<\/p>\n<p>But a spokesperson with Yosemite National Park pushed back on the data.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYosemite National Park does not use Flock cameras, license place readers, or Flock software,\u201d the spokesperson told\u00a0<em>Outside.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Instead, the park has installed a system of cameras inside the park as part of a traffic-monitoring program used for purposes of managing parking and congestion.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot for law enforcement purposes,\u201d the spokesperson said. \u201cNo concessioner or outside entity is involved in operating these cameras.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Amid a summer of overcrowding and traffic concerns, the park\u2019s website says the cameras are license-plate readers designed to reduce wait times. After Yosemite dropped its vehicle reservation system for 2026, it has faced heavy crowding and is under pressure to better manage traffic. <em>Outside<\/em> contacted NPS for clarification on who manufactures its cameras, but did not receive a response in time for publication.<\/p>\n<p><iframe class=\"fp-remove\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border:none\" src=\"https:\/\/maps.deflock.org\/?lat=39.8283&amp;lng=-98.5795&amp;zoom=2.50\" width=\"100%\" height=\"600\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Yosemite\u2019s <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/yose\/planyourvisit\/lpr.htm\">website<\/a> says seven camera locations are currently in use, with four measuring wait times at the Arch Rock, South, and Big Oak Flat entrances and the park boundary at Highway 140. There is also one camera at Chinquapin that counts cars on Glacier Point Road, and two that count cars entering and exiting the East Valley.<\/p>\n<p>Five of Yosemite\u2019s entries were tagged as Flock cameras on DeFlock in June by a single contributor. Another, in eastern Yosemite Valley, was added on August 11 by a different DeFlock user, and identifies the manufacturer as Axis Communications, a Swedish camera maker. However, none of the DeFlock entries include a source note, photograph, or verification date. DeFlock is volunteer-driven, built on OpenStreetMap data, and warns that entries may be missing, moved, or misidentified.<\/p>\n<p>But this data is not accurate, the NPS said. The NPS spokesperson said the cameras are made by Axis Camera Systems, but said that no outside third party has access to the images captured by the system.<\/p>\n<p>According to the park, the cameras are in place to address congestion. Cameras can read the same license plate at two separate locations, revealing the park\u2019s entrance wait time and parking availability. This information is then <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/yose\/planyourvisit\/traffic.htm\">published in real-time<\/a> on the park\u2019s website.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe system is used to measure vehicle counts, travel times, and entrance-station wait times,\u201d the NPS spokesperson said. The cameras use \u201coptical character recognition of license plates,\u201d\u00a0to determine whether a vehicle at one location has then traveled to a different point in the park.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAllowing the park to calculate travel times,\u201d the spokesperson added. \u201cThe cameras are not connected to law enforcement or DMV databases.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>NPS writes on its <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/yose\/planyourvisit\/lpr.htm\">website<\/a> that images are kept for 30 days, and an anonymized text record is retained indefinitely as a history of park visitation comparable to traffic counts.<\/p>\n<p>NPS says that information from its plate-reader system is generally not provided to law enforcement, but there are exceptions. Policies vary by park unit, but recorded information can be provided to help locate a vehicle for a valid, active law-enforcement purpose or to assist in a search for a missing or at-risk person.<\/p>\n<p>In 2022, the Department of the Interior <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.doi.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/edms-pia-05242022.pdf\">published a privacy assessment<\/a> for NPS\u2019 camera systems, describing them as being used to \u201cscan license plates and identify associated current law enforcement issues for awareness or action.\u201d Every plate is automatically checked against state law enforcement systems linked to the FBI\u2019s National Crime Information Center, returning an indicator of whether it is tied to a \u201cBOLO, Amber alert, warrant, hot list.\u201d The assessment does not name specific parks. <em>Outside <\/em>asked the NPS whether Yosemite\u2019s cameras fall under the assessment, but did not receive a response.<\/p>\n<p>In July 2026, the National Park Foundation <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.prnewswire.com\/news-releases\/national-park-foundation-awards-more-than-10-million-to-spark-innovation-across-the-national-park-system-302832368.html\">awarded 18 innovation grants<\/a> totaling more than $10 million across 21 national parks. Yosemite Conservancy received one to work with the park on designing \u201ca unified, park-wide system that integrates real-time data on traffic, parking, and road conditions into automated, multi-channel visitor information.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The grant funds design work. The NPS has not yet made public what it will adopt or what privacy rules will govern it.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><span hidden=\"\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.outsideonline.com\/outdoor-adventure\/environment\/yosemite-license-plate-reader-cameras-flock\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>DeFlock claims that Yosemite National Park has installed the controversial surveillance technology. The NPS says the cameras are part of a system to monitor congestion and parking. Amid a summer of overcrowding and traffic concerns, the park\u2019s website says the cameras are license-plate readers designed to reduce wait times (Photo: San Francisco Chronicle\/Hearst Newspapers via<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16500,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16499","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wild-living"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16499","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16499"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16499\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/16500"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16499"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16499"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16499"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}