Audit finds that Flock shared Ventura County's license plate reader data with out-of-state agencies
The short version: CBS LA reports a Ventura County audit found Flock Safety's ALPR system leaked local plate data to out-of-state and federal agencies without authorization.
Our Take
Credit to CBS LA for digging into this audit, because it confirms exactly what critics of Flock Safety have been warning about for years: these networks don't stay local. Ventura County residents were told their license plate data would be used for local policing. Instead, an audit found it was funneled to out-of-state agencies and federal agents — the kind of "inadvertent" sharing that just so happens to align with Flock's broader architecture of nationwide data pooling.
This is the core problem with ALPR systems sold as neighborhood safety tools: once your plate hits a Flock camera, you have no real control over who eventually sees it. Local elected officials approve these systems assuming they're buying a local tool, not a pipeline into a national surveillance web that can be tapped by ICE, DEA, or any agency with the right access agreement. "Inadvertent" sharing is a policy failure, not a technical glitch — it's what happens when a private company builds a searchable, interconnected database and hands out access broadly by design.
If you live in a community with Flock cameras, or you're not sure, check our camera map to see what's already been documented near you. And if your city council hasn't asked hard questions about audit trails and out-of-state data sharing, our take action page has the tools to start that fight.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of CBS LA, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.