Flock announces changes amid backlash over its license plate reader network
- Flock Safety said it will make changes to its platform to address privacy concerns and reports of misuse by some law enforcement users.
- The company said all law enforcement customers will be required to use an audit tool by Jan. 1, and abnormal search behavior could trigger a lockout pending review.
- Flock 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 have to enter a case-linked code before searches, and emergency overrides will be flagged for review.
- Customers will be able to control which offense types outside agencies can search for, including blocking searches related to immigration enforcement.
- Civil liberties groups and some legal critics said the changes do not go far enough and still leave room for abuse.
Flock Safety said Thursday it is changing parts of its license plate reader platform after growing bipartisan criticism from lawmakers, civil liberties groups and local officials. The company operates a nationwide network of cameras that records license plates and other vehicle details and allows thousands of law enforcement agencies to search and share the data across jurisdictions.
According to the company, the new rules will make several previously optional safeguards mandatory for law enforcement users by Jan. 1. Those measures include an audit tool designed to detect abnormal search behavior, which could lead to a temporary lockout while the company reviews the account.
Flock also said it will reduce its default data retention period from 30 days to seven. The company said data can still be kept longer when it is tied to a case number. Law enforcement users will also have to link each search to a specific case before running it, and emergency overrides will be flagged for review.
Another change will let customers decide which offense types outside agencies can search for in their data. Flock said that gives cities and departments more control over whether their data can be used in searches connected to issues such as immigration enforcement. Critics, including the ACLU and legal advocates, said the new steps may be an improvement but do not resolve concerns about misuse and warrantless surveillance.
Flock在其车牌识别网络遭批评之际宣布调整
Flock Safety周四表示，在来自两党议员、民权团体和地方官员的批评不断增加后，将调整其车牌识别平台。该公司运营着覆盖全国的摄像头网络，记录车牌和车辆其他信息，并允许数千个执法机构跨辖区查询和共享这些数据。
公司称，到1月1日，面向执法用户的多项原本可选的防护措施将变为强制要求。其中包括一个用于发现异常搜索行为的审计工具；如果系统检测到异常，账户可能会被暂时锁定并接受审查。
Flock还表示，将把默认数据保存期限从30天缩短到7天。但如果数据与具体案件编号相关，仍可保留更久。执法用户在进行搜索前也必须把搜索与具体案件关联，紧急情况下的例外操作会被标记出来供审查。
另一项调整是，客户可以决定外部机构能按哪些罪名类型搜索其数据。Flock称，这让城市和执法部门能够更自主地决定数据如何被使用，包括是否允许与移民执法相关的搜索。包括美国公民自由联盟和一些法律人士在内的批评者认为，这些变化可能有所改善，但仍未消除对滥用和无证监控的担忧。