Does Flock share ALPR data with ICE? #flockoff #deflock #abolishICE #abolishFlock #4thamendment
The short version: Matt Schlegel flags a DHS policy loophole that could let ICE query local Flock ALPR data without any audit trail communities can inspect.
Our Take
Matt Schlegel's video zeroes in on a detail that should worry anyone who's been told their city's Flock cameras are only for local police business: if DHS policy really does require ALPR vendors to let ICE query their systems without logging those searches, then the "we control our own data" pitch that Flock sales reps give city councils falls apart. No logging means no audit trail, and no audit trail means no way for a police chief, a city attorney, or a reporter to ever confirm whether your plate's travel history ended up in a federal immigration database.
This is the structural problem with networked ALPR systems in general. Once a city plugs into Flock's national lookup network, local control is theoretical at best — the data doesn't stay local, and the promises made in council chambers aren't backed by anything enforceable if the vendor's own federal compliance obligations say otherwise. Communities can pass resolutions restricting ICE access all they want; if the plumbing allows queries to slip through unlogged, the policy is just paper.
Credit to Schlegel for pushing on this instead of letting it slide as a hypothetical. If you want to see how dense Flock's camera network already is near you, check our camera map, and if your city is debating a Flock contract or renewal, our take-action page has the questions you should be demanding answers to before another vote.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of Matt Schlegel, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.