Flock Safety Implements New Measures Amid Backlash
Flock Safety, a private company specializing in AI-driven surveillance cameras, is responding to increasing criticism and allegations of misuse by law enforcement. Following public anxiety over the expanding network of automatic license plate readers (ALPRs), they’ve announced several new safety protocols.
The adjustments include enhanced privacy protections, greater control for local law enforcement, and improved accountability measures, according to a recent report.
One major change is the reduction of the standard data retention period from 30 days to just 7 days. Previously, all data captured by the company’s extensive network of cameras—which exceeds 119,000—was kept for a month. Now, data will only remain on Flock servers for a week.
Yet, the report indicates that Flock is working on an “evidence mode” feature which would enable law enforcement agencies to retain data longer if state or local regulations require it for investigations. This has led to some pushback, as law enforcement often argues that they need these systems to apprehend criminals.
Additionally, Flock is introducing a feature that allows police departments to choose which types of crimes they want to share information about with neighboring municipalities. For instance, one city could opt out of sharing data related to immigration while allowing data sharing for theft and violent crimes.
Critics continue to voice their concerns regarding privacy violations and the implications of long-term data storage. Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs has publicly advocated for a national pause on the deployment of Flock cameras.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has also weighed in, calling the reforms a superficial public relations effort rather than a genuine attempt to address serious community privacy issues.
Compounding the controversy, there have been reports of law enforcement using this technology for personal stalking. Flock states that part of the new reforms will focus on mitigating such misuse.
A recently launched feature known as Audit Assistance is intended to alert users to any irregular search activities. This tool, which was previously optional, is now activated by one-third of government agencies that use Flock’s services.
The company plans to standardize this feature for all law enforcement clients. When unusual activity is detected, users will be temporarily locked out until an administrator verifies the search. Flock is making steps to ensure the technology is not misused.
Moreover, each search will now require a stated reason. Initially, a case code was optional, but the latest update mandates it, with an exception for genuine emergencies, like a missing child.
Flock noted that any unprovoked search would be automatically flagged as a search that shouldn’t have occurred. Despite these ongoing concerns, the company asserts that its technology played a role in locating around 10,000 missing persons amid 1 million investigations last year.
