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Flock Safety announces platform updates amid privacy backlash
Flock Safety, a major provider of automated license plate readers (ALPR), is implementing new platform safeguards following widespread public backlash and reports of law enforcement misuse. CEO Garrett Langley admitted the company was slow to address instances where officers used the technology for personal reasons, such as stalking romantic partners.
To address these concerns, Flock announced several updates, including reducing the standard data retention period from 30 days to seven days and making mandatory audit tools to flag abnormal search behavior. The company also plans to require law enforcement users to enter specific case codes for searches.
Despite these changes, civil liberties groups like the ACLU have expressed skepticism, characterizing the updates as a public relations effort rather than a fundamental fix for the risks of mass surveillance. Meanwhile, several municipalities and counties across the United States, including jurisdictions in Arkansas, Oregon, and Tennessee, have either terminated their contracts with Flock or are actively debating their use due to privacy and constitutional concerns.
Entities
ACLU · American Civil Liberties Union · Cleveland · Flock Safety · Garrett Langley · Institute for Justice · Josephine County Sheriff’s Office · San Luis · San Luis Police Department · Stanford University · Winona Police Department
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The Sheriff’s Office terminated its contract with Flock Safety due to public concerns and equipment vandalism. medfordalert.com
- [● 10 SOURCES] Flock is reducing standard data retention from 30 days to seven. www.bbc.co.uk · wtop.com · srnnews.com · www.kaaltv.com · www.bangordailynews.com · +5 more
- [● 5 SOURCES] The department will not reinstall eight Flock cameras that were stolen and cut down from their poles. kroc.com · www.fox9.com · kstp.com · kfgo.com · medfordalert.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] Flock operates more than 120,000 automated license plate readers in at least 6,000 cities. www.aclu.org · dcod.ch · www.staradvertiser.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Stanford University ended its contract with Flock Safety and is replacing it with Genetec Cloudrunner. www.thecooldown.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] A database was published documenting over 100 incidents of license plate reader abuse. www.aclu.org
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Flock CEO Garrett Langley admitted the company took too long to act regarding police misuse of its technology. www.bbc.co.uk
- [● 9 SOURCES] Flock will implement mandatory audit tools to flag abnormal search behavior by law enforcement. wtop.com · srnnews.com · www.bbc.co.uk · www.kaaltv.com · www.bangordailynews.com · +4 more