Flock Safety tightens licence-plate reader oversight after stalking allegations
The Atlanta-based technology company has implemented stricter privacy safeguards for its automatic licence-plate reader network, including mandatory case codes and reduced image retention periods, in response to a Washington Post investigation.
US technology firm Flock Safety has introduced stricter privacy protections for its automatic licence-plate reader network following a Washington Post investigation that revealed at least 46 police officers used the system to stalk and harass women. The company, which operates approximately 120,000 cameras across the United States, is reducing the default data retention period from 30 days to seven days and introducing an "evidence mode" for exceptional cases.
New measures include mandatory audit features to flag abnormal activity, offence-based filters to restrict data access between agencies, and a requirement for case codes for all law enforcement searches by the end of 2026. The American Civil Liberties Union welcomed the reduction in data retention but criticised other changes as superficial.
Flock Safety, based in Atlanta, Georgia, markets its products as crime-fighting tools for law enforcement and private groups, such as neighbourhood watch committees. However, critics have accused the company of operating a mass surveillance system with little oversight. The changes follow the Washington Post investigation published earlier this month, which revealed that at least 46 US law enforcement officers were accused of unauthorised tracking, including stalking wives, girlfriends, and exes.
In a statement on Thursday, Flock said it is reducing the recommended default retention period for images from 30 days to 7 days, and introducing an “evidence mode” allowing for longer shortage windows in “exceptional cases”. Law enforcement agencies can now also add offence-based filters to restrict which data can be accessed by other agencies. “Cities can choose which type of offences are permissible for other agencies to access their cameras,” Flock said. “For example, City A could allow City B to search its cameras only for a stolen vehicle, missing person, or violent crime while blocking searches related to immigration enforcement.”
Flock will also make mandatory an audit feature that documents all searches and flags abnormal activity, while the system will lock out users who exhibit “abnormal behaviour” for further review. Case codes will be required for all law enforcement searches by the end of 2026, the company said.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) welcomed Flock’s decision to slash the recommended data retention period, but said other changes were superficial or recycled versions of inadequate safety features. “While one proposed change to Flock’s operations might constitute a positive development, most of the other changes seem to be following Flock’s playbook of treating legitimate privacy concerns as mere public relations problems,” the ACLU said.
