Radical Collective Maps Over 2,000 Surveillance Cameras in Atlanta, Aiming to Dismantle the Panopticon
Executive Summary
An anonymous group has published an interactive map documenting over 2,000 city-owned surveillance cameras, including ALPRs, across Atlanta. The project aims to expose and resist state surveillance infrastructure while encouraging replication in other cities.
Analysis
In a bold and ideologically charged move, an anonymous collective calling itself “some nihilist secretaries” has released a comprehensive and interactive map detailing Atlanta’s expansive surveillance apparatus. This effort focuses primarily on Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPRs) and city-managed security cameras associated with the Atlanta Police Department’s “Shield Program.” According to the project’s website, the team mapped 872 Flock Safety cameras, 450 Motorola cameras, and 2,316 other city-owned surveillance units. These devices were identified and labeled by type—ranging from PTZ (“dingleberry”) to directional (“shotgun”)—and geographically categorized across Fulton County and parts of DeKalb, with aspirations to expand coverage across the entire metro area.
The creators emphasize both the tactical and symbolic goals of their project. Their stated intent is to enable “offensive and defensive approaches” to counter-surveillance by making the data accessible and replicable, while also framing their effort within a radical critique of state surveillance and colonial control mechanisms. They go so far as to call for the “destruction of the entire panopticon,” using a tone and language more aligned with anarchist or anti-state ideology than traditional civil liberties advocacy. Nevertheless, their data may serve a broader audience, including journalists, civil rights watchdogs, and researchers interested in digital surveillance ecosystems.
The group also published a zine titled Mapping the Surveillance State (to Kill it), which acts as both a manifesto and a how-to guide, documenting their methodologies in the hope of sparking similar projects elsewhere. The materials—available in multiple formats including .kml and .csv files—can be loaded into mapping platforms like Organic Maps, OpenStreetMap, or GIS software. This structured dataset offers a granular, street-level view of the spread of visual surveillance infrastructure in an urban American environment.
While the accuracy of the dataset cannot be independently verified, the collective acknowledges the potential for inaccuracies and redundancies, urging users to do their own field verification. Despite—or perhaps because of—the project’s radical framing, it underscores a significant truth: municipal surveillance is rapidly proliferating in American cities, often with minimal public oversight. This effort reflects a growing grassroots pushback against ubiquitous digital monitoring in the name of safety and crime prevention.
