Claim:
A fashion designer is producing shirts designed to trick automated license plate readers, such as Flock cameras, as of mid-2026.
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<span class="fact_check_info_title">What's True</span>
<p class="fact_check_info_description">It is a fact that digital security specialist and novelty fabric designer Kate Bertash introduced a clothing line called Adversarial Fashion in 2019. The garments feature numerous fake license plates intended to overwhelm surveillance systems with useless data. However …</p>
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<p class="fact_check_info_description">… commercial availability of these items ceased in 2023. At the time of this publication, the official website indicated a future re-release, though no specific timeline was provided.</p>
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<p>In August 2026, social media platforms began circulating claims that a fashion designer was actively producing garments intended to confuse automated license plate readers (ALPRs), including Flock security cameras.</p>
<p>The rumor gained traction across multiple networks, including <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ScienceNaturePage/posts/pfbid026MKe74kvKKcJu8ZwCVmqhmojz85wxPTDbuj6NF8uejarrfVWwYz7eujTVTJFyTCwl">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DcMUFjBjTUk/">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://x.com/TruckerDesiree/status/2089028011186413782">and X</a>. One viral <a href="https://x.com/Rainmaker1973/status/2089022702313000967">post on X</a> attributed the creation of these anti-surveillance shirts to a designer and cybersecurity expert named Kate Rose (<a href="https://perma.cc/UL5H-5HUA">archived</a>).</p>
<p><span>The widely shared images featured a person standing in a covered parking structure, wearing a black shirt emblazoned with a pattern of fake license plate numbers and letters, accented by purple framing rectangles. Overlay text on the graphic stated: "A fashion designer is feeding Flock cameras junk data using clothes covered in fake plates."</span></p>
<p><span>In reality, the apparel was originally developed by digital security expert </span><a href="https://www.katebertash.com/"><span>Kate Bertash</span></a><span> under the name Adversarial Fashion, debuting in 2019. Nevertheless, according to the official </span><a href="https://www.katebertash.com/adversarial-fashion"><span>project website</span></a><span>, the items have been out of production and unavailable for purchase since 2023. While the site hints at a potential comeback with the note "stay tuned for re-release," no launch date has been announced. Consequently, the claim is evaluated as a mixture of accurate and inaccurate elements.</span></p>
<p>Inquiries have been sent to Bertash regarding any upcoming availability, and this report will be updated if a response is received.</p>
<p>Bertash first unveiled the project during a presentation at the <a href="https://defcon.org/html/defcon-27/dc-27-index.html">DEF CON 27 hacking conference</a> in 2019. During her talk, available on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVcGZ_Ak4NI">YouTube</a>, she explained that her broader mission was "to help organizations that do social good work to get the kind of technology and security resources that they need day to day" (at 0:36).</p>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVcGZ_Ak4NI"></iframe></p>
<p>She also mentioned her enjoyment of designing novelty fabrics, particularly for children, and used the conference session to demonstrate how everyday textiles could be utilized to disrupt mass surveillance operations.</p>
<p>Discussing various countermeasures against technologies like facial recognition, thermal imaging, and ALPRs, Bertash showcased examples such as thermal-blocking blankets and specialized makeup intended to obscure facial geometry from cameras.</p>
<p>At the 11:58 mark of the presentation, she introduced her concepts for defeating ALPR systems—featuring the exact shirt and dress later featured in the 2026 viral posts—alongside the web address AdversarialFashion.com.</p>
<p>She further demonstrated the concept by showing footage of an ALPR camera attempting and failing to properly parse the fake plates integrated into the fabric.</p>
<p>While the clothing line drew significant attention from outlets like <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/adversarial-fashion-clothes-that-confuse-automatic-license-plate-readers/">Vice</a>, The New Yorker, and The Financial Times between 2019 and 2021, the <a href="https://www.katebertash.com/adversarial-fashion">website</a> confirms they have remained unavailable since 2023, while encouraging interested buyers to <span>"stay tuned for a re-release!"</span></p>
<p>For more background, other investigations cover <a href="https://www.snopes.com/collections/flock-safety-surveillance-rumors/">related claims</a> regarding Flock surveillance infrastructure, including viral reports concerning the alleged use of <a href="https://www.snopes.com/news/2026/08/04/texas-police-83k-cameras-abortion/">thousands of Flock cameras</a> by law enforcement.</p>