Technology1 min read

At least 10 local governments have moved to drop Flock’s surveillance cameras since summer

By · Via TechCrunch · Published by Everything Blog

In short

Municipalities including Monroe, Richmond, Lansing, and Asheville have taken action to cancel contracts or restrict license plate readers. The growing scrutiny stems in part from incidents in Missouri and Texas, where officers faced accusations or prison time for using the camera network to stalk former partners. Flock Safety maintains that clients control their own data and announced in August that it would cut its default storage window for new customers from 30 days to seven.

Key points

  • Local governments are terminating surveillance contracts following serious instances of p…: Local governments are terminating surveillance contracts following serious instances of personal misuse by law enforcement officers.
  • Concerns over unauthorized federal agency access to municipal data have prompted cities a…: Concerns over unauthorized federal agency access to municipal data have prompted cities and states to restrict automated camera networks.
  • In response to mounting privacy concerns, the surveillance vendor reduced its default dat…: In response to mounting privacy concerns, the surveillance vendor reduced its default data storage window for new clients from 30 days down to seven.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

At least 10 local governments and police departments have moved since this summer to curb, restrict, or end their use of Flock Safety technology as concerns about mass surveillance and data privacy continue to grow. The backlash is part of a broader pushback against the rapid adoption of advanced AI technology, including the data center buildout, facial recognition, and other uses of AI.

Flock, founded in 2017, sells surveillance software — like license plate readers, drones, and microphone-based edge-computing devices to pick up gunshots and other sounds — that can help solve crimes, such as finding missing people or stolen cars. More than 100,000 Flock cameras are in use nationwide.

But in the past three months, Monroe, Ohio; Newburgh, New York; Richmond, Virginia; Hopkinton, Massachusetts; New Bedford, Massachusetts; and Lansing, Michigan, have all moved to end their contracts with Flock. Meanwhile, police in East Bridgewater and Grafton, Massachusetts, also announced plans to stop using Flock cameras. Just this week, residents of League City, Texas, voted against their police department’s continued use of Flock’s license plate readers, and the cameras are…

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