YouTuber Builds License-Plate Camera Aimed at Police Cars, Draws Police Visit
Canadian software engineer and YouTuber Anthony Sistilli created an automatic license plate recognition camera designed to monitor police vehicles. Two officers visited his home on September 20 to ask about the project and his intentions. Sistilli highlighted the irony of their privacy concerns, given growing public unease over large-scale ALPR networks such as Flock Safety's.
Anthony Sistilli, a Canadian software engineer and YouTuber, constructed an automatic license plate recognition system configured to monitor police vehicles rather than ordinary drivers. He documented the project on TikTok and YouTube, calling it a way to turn surveillance back on law enforcement. On September 20, two officers from Peel Regional Police visited his Brampton, Ontario, home to question his purpose.
The visit followed his October 7 video about the device. Sistilli noted that officers raised concerns about officers' safety and privacy, including risks from people learning their homes, shifts, and daily movements. He compared those worries to public unease over expanding ALPR networks, such as Flock Safety's reported 120,000-plus cameras across 49 states.
This episode may intensify debate over who should wield ALPR data. Police officers could face new privacy risks if such tools spread, while residents may gain a tangible example of surveillance concerns. Departments might reconsider policies, training, or transparency around camera networks. Civil-liberties advocates and technology researchers could cite it in discussions about oversight, though the actual effect remains uncertain.