As community backlash increases, Flock company claims to add new guardrails
The short version: NBC 10 WJAR reports Flock is rolling out new 'guardrails' as Rhode Island and Massachusetts communities push back on ALPR surveillance, but policy promises aren't the same as accountability.
Our Take
Credit to NBC 10 WJAR for tracking something we've been watching nationally: when enough towns start asking hard questions, the vendor suddenly discovers it has "guardrails." It's a familiar pattern. Flock doesn't volunteer limits on its own — it reacts to backlash, bad press, and city councils that actually read the contracts before signing them. Southern New England communities pushing back is a good sign, but a corporate pinky-promise about proper use isn't an audit, and it isn't law.
The real issue the segment only gestures at is enforcement. Who checks that a police department's searches stay within the stated policy? Who notices when a neighboring agency without any local vote gets network access through Flock's data-sharing features? Self-imposed "guardrails" from the company selling the cameras are not oversight — they're a PR move timed to cool down exactly the kind of community pressure that's building across Rhode Island and Massachusetts right now.
If you live in one of the towns mentioned, don't wait for Flock's self-regulation to do the work democratic oversight should be doing. Check our camera map to see what's already deployed near you, and use our take-action guide to push your council for real audit logs, retention limits, and a public vote before the next contract renewal.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of NBC 10 WJAR, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.