Flock announces changes amid backlash over its license plate reader network
- Flock Safety said it is changing its license plate reader platform after growing criticism from lawmakers, civil liberties groups and members of the public.
- The company said all law enforcement customers will have to use an audit tool that flags abnormal search behavior, with users locked out pending review if the system detects misuse.
- Flock said it will shorten its standard data retention period from 30 days to seven days, while allowing longer preservation when the data is tied to a case number.
- Law enforcement users will be required to link each search to a specific case number, and emergency overrides will be automatically flagged for review.
- Customers will be able to limit which offense types outside agencies can search for, including blocking searches related to immigration enforcement.
- Critics including the ACLU and the Institute for Justice said the changes do not go far enough to prevent abuse of the system.
Flock Safety announced changes to its license plate reader platform after facing bipartisan scrutiny over privacy concerns and reported misuse by some law enforcement officers. The company runs a nationwide camera network that records vehicle plate numbers and other details and allows thousands of agencies to search and share the data across state lines.
Among the new measures, Flock said it will make an audit tool mandatory for law enforcement customers by Jan. 1. The tool is intended to detect abnormal search patterns, and users flagged for suspicious activity could be locked out while the company reviews the case.
Flock also said it will shorten its standard data retention period from 30 days to seven. Data can still be kept longer when it is tied to a case number, and officers will be required to enter that case number before running a search. Emergency overrides will be flagged for review.
The company said customers will gain more control over which kinds of offenses outside agencies can search for, including the ability to block searches tied to immigration enforcement. Critics welcomed the shorter retention period as a limited step but said the broader changes still leave too much room for misuse.
Flock在围绕车牌识别网络的反弹声中宣布调整
Flock Safety在其车牌识别平台遭遇跨党派审视后宣布调整。外界的主要担忧集中在隐私问题以及部分执法人员被指存在的滥用行为。该公司运营着覆盖全国的摄像网络，会记录车辆车牌号码及其他信息，并允许数千个机构跨州检索和共享这些数据。
在新措施中，Flock表示将从1月1日起要求所有执法客户使用审计工具。该工具用于识别异常搜索模式，若发现可疑行为，相关用户可能会被锁定，等待公司审查。
Flock还表示，将把默认数据保留期从30天缩短到7天。若数据与某个案件编号相关，仍可保留更久；执法人员在进行搜索前也必须输入案件编号。紧急情况下的例外操作将被标记供审查。
公司表示，客户还可以更明确地控制外部机构可搜索的罪名类型，包括阻止与移民执法相关的搜索。批评者认为，缩短保留期是有限改进，但整体变化仍不足以消除滥用风险。