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Flock Safety license-plate cameras face bipartisan privacy scrutiny as 23 jurisdictions cancel use

techAug 10, 2026446,122

Twenty three jurisdictions have canceled contracts with Flock Safety after civil liberties groups and local activists raised misuse and mass‑surveillance concerns. New documents and court records obtained by the Electronic Frontier Foundation show Texas deputies queried Flock’s license plate database in an abortion investigation. Flock says its cameras capture only publicly visible information, that it does not sell customer data, and that it does not use facial recognition; the company says customers control data sharing. Independent counts put more than 127,000 Flock cameras installed across the United States and Puerto Rico, fueling state and federal pushback. Federal pilot programs that used Flock data to target human trafficking and fentanyl distribution were suspended after backlash. Lawmakers including Representative Keith Self have proposed requiring warrants to access Flock data, and Representatives Tim Burchett and Thomas Massie have introduced measures to restrict federal agency use. Local activism has spread: Santa Cruz banned Flock cameras and grassroots groups like DeFlock organized a national week of action against automated license plate readers, which the American Civil Liberties Union says threaten Fourth Amendment protections.

More Perfect Union
@moreperfectunion.bsky.social

The LAPD declined to renew its Flock contract after an internal audit found 161 false stolen-vehicle alerts in just two months — a 32.3% false-positive rate. www.gadgetreview.com/one-in-three...

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