A resident of Mississauga and You Tuber received a visit from the police after sharing a post about a device he made to monitor police vehicles.
The You Tuber, Anthony Sistilli, mentioned that he created his own “Flock” camera and filmed himself testing the device near Shopper’s World in Brampton.
Flock Safety is an American company that makes and operates surveillance hardware and software. They manage networks of automated license plate readers, or ALPRs. There are concerns among people regarding mass surveillance, privacy issues, and the potential misuse of these systems in the U. S.
A Washington Post investigation revealed that police were utilizing Flock cameras to track down former partners. The surveillance systems can provide a detailed history of where individuals have been, as well as when and how often.
Additionally, there are worries about unauthorized organizations gaining access to these surveillance systems.
Although Flock is not present in Canada, a similar $11.4-million camera initiative was announced in Brampton in March 2025. In May, the City of Brampton stated that the 50 advanced cameras equipped with 360-degree imaging and automated license plate recognition technology were assisting police by providing digital evidence for various cases like auto thefts, hit-and-runs, violent crimes, and extortion investigations.
In the U. S., there are portals available to view logs on what police officers are searching for. However, Sistilli pointed out that accessing records of police searches on these cameras isn’t easy in Canada.
Sistilli expressed concern over the lack of transparency within Canada. Therefore, he developed a system using a camera that could log and track license plates belonging to police vehicles.
He successfully tracked two police cars within roughly an hour near Shopper’s World in early September.
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On September 20th, two Peel Police officers visited his home to inquire about his video tracking intentions and what he aimed to do with this system.
A spokesperson from Peel Regional Police told INSAUGA Canada that they received “information regarding a You Tube channel operated by Anthony Sistilli that featured content demonstrating the use of Automatic Licence Plate Recognition (ALPR) technology to identify and track marked police vehicles and their locations.”
“Police met with Sistilli to better understand the video, technology, and the purpose behind it. Police then determined that no further action was required,” said the spokesperson.
Sistilli conducted an extensive investigation into Flock cameras by interviewing politicians in the U. S. while exploring related issues surrounding this system. He shared an over 30-minute video discussing these topics on his You Tube channel.
“Flock-like surveillance cameras are already in Canada (Brampton, for example) and we should be super worried,” Sistilli commented.
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