Webinar — More than Just License Plates: Surveillance in Rhode Island

Our Take

Credit where it's due: the ACLU of Rhode Island put together exactly the kind of primer every state needs. This isn't a hit-and-run news clip — it's a full breakdown of how Flock Safety cameras work, how many are already logging plates across Rhode Island, and the gap between what these systems can do and what state law actually regulates. That last part is the real story. Rhode Island, like most states, has let a dense network of automated license plate readers go up with essentially no statutory guardrails on retention, sharing, or audit accountability.

The section on network audit logs and transparency portals is worth everyone's time. Flock markets these portals as accountability tools, but as the webinar makes clear, they only work if someone is actually watching — and right now, that's mostly outside advocates and journalists, not lawmakers. When a private company's backend logs are the main check on how police query a statewide surveillance network, that's not oversight, that's a courtesy. The webinar's tour through documented misuse cases nationally is a reminder that Rhode Island isn't immune just because it hasn't had its own scandal yet.

If you're in Rhode Island, this is the moment to get informed and get loud — your city council or state legislature is far more likely to listen to constituents citing specifics like this than vague privacy complaints. Check our camera map to see what's already deployed near you, and head to our take-action page for tools to push for real transparency and limits before this network gets even bigger.