Flock cameras face backlash
The short version: KING 5 Seattle reports Flock Safety is tweaking its rules after misuse scandals and public pushback, but critics say the changes are cosmetic.
Our Take
KING 5 Seattle's report lays out a pattern we've seen play out in city after city: Flock Safety gets caught letting police misuse its ALPR network, public outcry follows, and the company responds with a policy tweak instead of a real accountability mechanism. Adjusting terms of service doesn't change the fact that these cameras are still logging every plate that passes, still sitting on local government networks, and still available to whoever has login credentials — cop, contractor, or curious admin.
The "it's still not enough" pushback from critics in the piece is the right instinct. Self-policing by a surveillance vendor is not oversight. Real oversight means public audit logs, hard data retention limits, independent review of search requests, and consequences when officers go fishing outside their jurisdiction. Voluntary policy language that Flock can rewrite whenever it wants is not a substitute for binding local ordinances or state law.
Credit to KING 5 for keeping this story in front of Seattle-area residents instead of letting it fade after the initial headlines. If you want to see how far this network already reaches near you, check our camera map, and if you think your city council needs to hear from constituents before renewing a Flock contract, our take-action page has next steps.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of KING 5 Seattle, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.