Flock announces changes amid backlash over its license plate reader network
- Flock Safety said it will make changes to its license plate reader platform after facing criticism from lawmakers, civil liberties groups and local officials over privacy and misuse concerns.
- The company said it will require law enforcement customers to use an audit tool, shorten the standard data retention period from 30 days to seven, and link searches to specific case numbers.
- Flock said customers will be able to limit which types of offenses outside agencies can search for, including blocking searches related to immigration enforcement.
- Critics said the changes do not fully address the risk of misuse because police still control who can search the system and when.
- The company operates a nationwide network of automated cameras used by thousands of law enforcement agencies in 49 states.
Flock Safety said Thursday it is changing its license plate reader platform in response to mounting backlash over privacy concerns and reports of misuse by law enforcement. The company’s nationwide camera network records license plate numbers and other vehicle characteristics as cars pass, and its data can be searched and shared across jurisdictions by police agencies.
Among the changes, Flock said law enforcement customers will be required to use an audit tool intended to detect abnormal search activity. The standard data retention period will be cut from 30 days to seven, though evidence tied to a case number can still be kept longer. Searches will also have to be linked to a specific case through a records management code before they are run.
The company said customers will be able to choose which offense categories outside agencies may search for, giving cities and departments a way to block certain searches, including those related to immigration enforcement. Flock chief executive Garrett Langley said the changes are meant to make protections that were once optional mandatory by Jan. 1.
Civil liberties advocates and some legal experts were skeptical, saying the revisions do not solve the core problem that police officers still control access to the system. The American Civil Liberties Union called the shorter retention period a step in the right direction but described other changes as insufficient, while other critics called the announcement window dressing.
Flock在围绕车牌识别网络的反弹声中宣布调整措施
Flock Safety周四表示，将对其车牌识别平台进行调整，以回应围绕隐私担忧和执法滥用的持续反弹。该公司运营着覆盖全国的摄像头网络，可记录车辆经过时的车牌号码及其他特征，执法机构也可跨辖区检索和共享这些数据。
按照新措施，Flock将要求执法客户启用一项审计工具，用于识别异常检索行为。默认数据保留期将从30天缩短至7天，但与具体案件编号相关的证据仍可保留更久。系统检索前也必须先通过记录管理代码关联到具体案件。
公司还表示，客户可以选择允许外部机构检索哪些类型的犯罪案件，这意味着地方城市和部门可以限制某些搜索，包括与移民执法相关的检索。首席执行官Garrett Langley说，这些变化旨在让原本可选的保护措施到2026年1月1日变为强制要求。
公民自由倡导者和部分法律专家对这些调整持怀疑态度，认为这并没有解决核心问题，因为是否以及何时访问系统仍由警员决定。美国公民自由联盟表示，缩短保留期算是朝正确方向迈出一步，但其他改动仍不够；其他批评者则把这次宣布称为修饰性措施。