Flock Safety Tightens Privacy Controls Amid Police Misuse Allegations
FlatRigor 5028 sources
The Story
Flock Safety announced policy changes Thursday, August 13, to address the misuse of its automated license plate reader technology by law enforcement officers. The company will expand its "Audit Assistance" feature, making it mandatory for all customers by the end of the year, which tracks abnormal activity and suspends user accounts during review. Officers will now be required to input case codes connected to an investigation for searches, a feature optional since July 2025, though it can be bypassed in emergencies. Flock also shortens the standard data retention window from 30 days to seven, allowing longer preservation only for evidence tied to a case number. Additionally, agencies can now decide which types of criminal offenses they share data about with other municipalities, such as blocking searches related to immigration enforcement. These changes follow revelations of officers misusing Flock's technology. Earlier this week, a police officer in New Bedford, Massachusetts, was accused in court of using the technology to stalk an ex-girlfriend. The Institute for Justice launched a database Wednesday documenting over 100 cases of alleged abuse. Some cities, including Glocester, Narragansett, South Kingstown, New Bedford, and Grass Valley, have canceled or paused their contracts with Flock Safety amid growing privacy concerns. Flock CEO Garrett Langley stated the changes will drive accountability and are a continuation of our commitment to both safety and privacy. Chad Marlow, senior policy counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union, dismissed the announcement as largely a public relations stunt, calling several changes retreads of previous inadequate safety measures. Marlow praised the proposed change to shrink data retention as a potentially positive step, but noted officers have previously found ways around similar safeguards, such as using generic terms like investigation or mocking prompts.
The Spread
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What they agree on
- Flock Safety announced new policy changes on Thursday, August 13, aimed at addressing privacy concerns and misuse of its automated license plate reader technology.
- The changes include making an audit assistance feature mandatory for all customers and shortening the default data retention period from 30 days to seven days.
- Law enforcement officers will now be required to enter case codes for searches, a feature previously optional.
- These policy adjustments follow multiple reports and arrests of law enforcement officers accused of misusing Flock cameras for personal or unauthorized surveillance.
- Civil liberties advocates, such as the ACLU, have expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of some of the new measures, while acknowledging the data retention change as a positive step.
Where they split
- The Record and MIT Technology Review emphasize the American Civil Liberties Union's critical perspective, highlighting Chad Marlow's dismissal of the changes as a "public relations stunt" and his concerns about officers circumventing new safeguards.
- Business Insider provides specific examples of Flock camera misreads leading to innocent people being stopped at gunpoint or detained, and reports that in one California town, Flock misread license plates in 71% of alerts.
- RedState introduces a broader discussion about new surveillance technology, SignalTrace, which links automated license plate readers with devices like cellular phones and smartwatches, expanding beyond Flock's ALPRs.
- The Boston Globe and other local outlets focus on specific local reactions, such as Providence mayoral challenger David Morales's pledge to remove Flock cameras and various Rhode Island towns canceling their contracts.
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