Flock Safety addresses privacy concerns about license plate reader cameras
The short version: Flock's new 'audit tool' polices searches after the fact, but an alarm that only rings once your data's already been pulled isn't privacy — it's damage control.
Our Take
13News Now reports that Flock Safety is now requiring agencies to use an audit tool that flags 'abnormal search behavior' on its license plate reader network. Notice the framing: this isn't a limit on what can be searched, it's a way to catch misuse after the fact. The scan happens, the data moves, and only later does a flag maybe pop up on someone's dashboard. That's not a guardrail, it's a receipt.
Flock has spent years selling itself to city councils as a crime-fighting tool while quietly building one of the largest privately-run vehicle surveillance databases in the country. An internal audit feature sounds responsive, but it still leaves Flock and its police customers to grade their own homework — deciding what counts as 'abnormal,' who reviews it, and what happens when someone crosses the line. Self-policing has a long history of catching almost nothing until a reporter or lawsuit forces the issue.
The real fix isn't a better audit log, it's fewer cameras logging everyone's movements in the first place. Check our camera map to see what's watching your own neighborhood, and use our take-action guide to push your city council for real oversight instead of a corporate pinky promise.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of 13News Now, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.