Flock announces changes amid backlash over its license plate reader network
- Flock Safety said it is changing its license plate reader platform after growing bipartisan criticism from lawmakers, civil liberties advocates and the public.
- The company runs a nationwide network of automated cameras that capture license plates and other vehicle details and share the data with thousands of law enforcement agencies across 49 states.
- Flock said all law enforcement customers will be required by Jan. 1 to use an audit tool that flags abnormal search behavior, and users may be locked out pending internal review if misuse is detected.
- The company is reducing its default data retention period from 30 days to seven days, while still allowing longer preservation when the data is tied to a case number.
- Customers will be able to limit which offense types outside agencies can search for, which Flock said could let cities and departments block searches related to immigration enforcement.
- Critics, including the ACLU and public interest litigators, said the changes do not go far enough and still leave room for abuse.
Flock Safety said Thursday that it is changing its license plate reader platform after mounting criticism over privacy and misuse concerns. The company’s cameras capture license plates and other vehicle characteristics, and law enforcement agencies in 49 states can search and share the data across jurisdictions.
Among the changes, Flock said all law enforcement customers will have to use an audit tool by Jan. 1 that is designed to flag unusual search activity. The company said abnormal behavior could trigger a lockout pending internal review. It also said the default retention period will be cut from 30 days to seven days, though data linked to a case number can still be kept longer.
Flock said customers will also be able to decide which types of offenses outside agencies can search for, giving local agencies more control over how their data is used. The company framed the move as a way for cities and departments to align the system with community values.
Civil liberties groups and other critics responded skeptically. The ACLU said the shorter retention window was a step in the right direction but called the other measures inadequate, while an Institute for Justice attorney described the changes as cosmetic. A law professor said the updates were better than no action, but argued for stronger scrutiny and judicial checks on access.
Flock在车牌识别网络引发反弹之际宣布调整措施
Flock Safety周四表示，将对其车牌识别平台作出调整，以回应围绕隐私和滥用问题日益增加的批评。该公司的摄像头会记录车牌和其他车辆特征，49个州的执法机构可以跨辖区检索和共享这些数据。
在这些变化中，Flock表示，所有执法客户都必须在1月1日前启用一项审计工具，用于识别异常搜索行为。公司称，若发现异常，相关用户可能会在内部审查期间被锁定。公司还表示，默认数据保留期将从30天缩短至7天，但与案件编号关联的数据仍可保存更久。
Flock还表示，客户可以决定外部机构可按哪些类型的犯罪检索其数据，从而让地方机构对数据使用方式拥有更多控制权。公司把这一调整描述为让各城市和部门能够按其社区价值观使用系统的一种方式。
公民自由组织和其他批评者对此反应谨慎。美国公民自由联盟表示，缩短保留期限是朝正确方向迈出的一步，但认为其他措施仍不够；一家公益法律机构的律师则把这些变化称为表面修饰。一位法学教授表示，这些调整总比没有强，但仍需要更严格的审查和司法层面的访问限制。