TechnologyFeature
MapQuest adds feature that marks license plate reader cameras along routes in its app
By Mantle News
Coverage spectrum
Covered by 3 outlets, mostly center (67%).
3 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias
Business Insider, The Hill and Straight Arrow News report that MapQuest has added a “surveillance layer” to its mobile app, announced on Bluesky on Thursday. When users turn it on in Map Options, the app marks known automated license plate readers along a route, including devices made by Flock Safety, Axon, Motorola Solutions and PlateSmart, according to the outlets. MapQuest’s post said, “The Roads Have Eyes!” Business Insider says the layer also covers other outdoor surveillance cameras, and Straight Arrow News says it shows where the cameras are located.
Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works
What happened
Key points
Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.
MapQuest added a “surveillance layer” to its mobile app, announced on Thursday.
Reported byLeft1Center2See the outletsHide the outlets
- Left
- Business Insider
- Center
- The Hill, Straight Arrow News
When switched on, the layer shows known automated license plate readers along a map route.
Reported byLeft1Center2See the outletsHide the outlets
- Left
- Business Insider
- Center
- The Hill, Straight Arrow News
The company says the layer identifies cameras made by Flock Safety, Axon, Motorola Solutions and PlateSmart, among others.
Reported byLeft1Center1See the outletsHide the outlets
- Left
- Business Insider
- Center
- Straight Arrow News
MapQuest said in a Bluesky post, “The Roads Have Eyes!”
Reported byLeft1Center2See the outletsHide the outlets
- Left
- Business Insider
- Center
- The Hill, Straight Arrow News
The company says the layer also includes other outdoor surveillance cameras.
Reported byLeft1Center1See the outletsHide the outlets
- Left
- Business Insider
- Center
- Straight Arrow News
How each side tells it
Compare views
All three outlets report that MapQuest added a surveillance layer marking known license plate readers, such as Flock Safety cameras, along routes. Business Insider casts the feature as MapQuest taking on the surveillance state, while The Hill and Straight Arrow News present it as a product update.
the left
1 outlet
Leads with the cameras and the user’s route, and its excerpt presents MapQuest as taking on the surveillance state.
MapQuest now shows you Flock and other license plate reader cameras on your route
Business InsiderLeftAll left-leaning headlines the center
2 outlets
The Hill frames the feature as a product update that flags cameras on routes, while Straight Arrow News leads with MapQuest’s brand history and camera locations.
MapQuest's new 'surveillance layer' feature flags Flock cameras on users' routes
The HillCenterAll center headlines the right
No coverage yet
No right-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.
The words they chose
Language to notice
Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.
Left1
taking on the surveillance state
Center0
No loaded words in its own voice.
Right
Has not covered this story.
In the outlets’ own words
Loaded verb
taking on the surveillance stateMore neutral: is adding a feature that shows surveillance cameras
It casts the company as opposing government surveillance, a motive the article does not establish from the company’s announcement.
MapQuest, the OG software to find your way from point A to point B, is taking on the surveillance state.
Used byBusiness Insider (Left)
See for yourself
Side by side
What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.
From the left
1 outletLeads with
- MapQuest’s role against surveillance
- Flock and other camera makers
- the feature on users’ routes
See the headline from the leftHide the headlines
- Business InsiderLeft
MapQuest now shows you Flock and other license plate reader cameras on your route
MapQuest said the new "surveillance layer" available on its mobile app finds "known license plate readers" from companies like Flock Safety.
From the center
2 outletsLeads with
- the feature as a product update
- the “surveillance layer” name
- MapQuest’s brand history
See the 2 headlines from the centerHide the headlines
- Straight Arrow NewsCenter
MapQuest — remember MapQuest? — will now show you where Flock cameras are
The online mapping service MapQuest will now show users the locations of license plate readers from companies such as Flock Safety.
- The HillCenter
MapQuest's new 'surveillance layer' feature flags Flock cameras on users' routes
MapQuest added a new feature to its mobile app Thursday that allows users to turn on a “surveillance layer” to find known license plate readers in their route. “The Roads Have Eyes!,” MapQuest said on social platform Bluesky Thursday announcing the new feature. …
From the right
0 outletsNo right-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.
Articles you open from here build My Mix, a private picture of how your reading spreads across the spectrum, kept on this device. What is My Mix?
The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.
Who reported it when
How the coverage built up
Left
First to report
Business Insider, Oct 17, 1:49 PM EDT
Center
1 hr 59 min later
Its first report, Oct 17, 3:49 PM EDT
Right
No report yet
From the outlets Mantle follows
See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
- Business InsiderLeftOct 17, 1:49 PM EDT
- The HillCenterOct 17, 3:49 PM EDT
- Straight Arrow NewsCenterOct 19, 11:43 AM EDT
Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.
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