MapQuest has added a new layer to its app that shows the locations of known outdoor surveillance cameras and license plate readers. The feature, announced this week, includes Flock cameras as well as devices from Motorola Solutions (Vigilant), Genetec, Axis Communications, Axon, Leonardo (ELSAG), Neology, Rekor, PlateSmart, Ubicquia, and Verkada. It sits alongside existing traffic and incident layers, making it easy to find.
The update is the latest in a string of additions for MapQuest, which recently saw a surge in popularity after it refused to follow Google Maps and Apple Maps in renaming Lake Ontario to Lake America. The company has also added Android Auto support and public transit directions. The surveillance layer may not help users avoid cameras on their usual routes, but it could illustrate how pervasive these systems are in a given area, according to Engadget.
Engadget notes that the announcement was accompanied by a short video set to Rockwell's "Somebody's Watching Me." The feature appears aimed at users who want to know more about surveillance infrastructure in their neighborhoods, though MapQuest has not stated whether it plans to add any related privacy tools or alerts.