Flock announces changes amid backlash over its license plate reader network

Our Take

ABC30 Action News flags something worth watching closely: Flock Safety, under mounting public pressure, says it's making changes to its license plate reader network. Credit to the ABC30 team for putting this on the record — but forgive us for reading the fine print before we celebrate. Companies that build their entire business model on quietly blanketing American streets with cameras don't usually reform themselves out of goodwill. They do it when the backlash starts costing them contracts.

The real question isn't whether Flock tweaks a policy or adds a new audit checkbox. It's whether any of these "changes" actually stop your daily movements from being logged, stored, and shared across a network of police departments, private subscribers, and federal agencies with little to no oversight. Vague promises of reform are easy to announce and hard to verify — especially from a company that has repeatedly expanded faster than the public conversation about its implications.

If you want to see whether this backlash is doing anything to the cameras actually installed near you, check our map and look for yourself. And if you're tired of waiting for surveillance companies to police themselves, our take-action page has real steps for pushing back at the local level, where these fights are actually won.