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At least 10 US authorities move to curb Flock surveillance use
At least 10 local governments and police departments have moved since summer to restrict or stop using Flock Safety’s surveillance technology, amid growing concerns about privacy, data sharing and misuse. The decisions reflect wider public scepticism about surveillance and emerging technologies, even as Flock systems are used to help investigate crimes and find missing people.
More than 100,000 Flock cameras are in use across the United States. Recent moves include contract cancellations in Ohio, New York, Virginia, Massachusetts and Michigan, while League City, Texas, residents voted to remove the cameras; Asheville, North Carolina, and El Paso County, Colorado, have also ended their use. Florida has barred plate readers from state highways and Texas paused state funding, while reported cases of officers using the system to stalk people and concerns about federal agencies accessing its data have heightened scrutiny.
In short
- At least 10 local agencies have moved to curb or end Flock use.
- More than 100,000 Flock cameras operate across the United States.
- Privacy, data access and misuse are driving public concern.
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The case for
Restricting or ending Flock use can protect privacy and reduce the risk that location data is shared beyond its original purpose or misused, including by officers to stalk people. Local authorities may reasonably conclude that uncertain safeguards and public concern outweigh the investigative benefits, or that limits on where the cameras operate are needed to maintain trust.
The case against
Keeping the cameras can give police a useful tool for investigating crimes and locating missing people, and ending their use may remove leads that could help resolve cases. Supporters can argue that clear rules on access, retention and oversight would address privacy risks while preserving those benefits, and that decisions should weigh documented safeguards and local needs rather than reject the technology outright.
Explained simply
Flock Safety makes cameras that read vehicle number plates and record when and where cars pass. Police and local authorities can search the records to investigate crimes or look for missing people, and more than 100,000 Flock cameras are in use across the United States.
The systems raise questions about how long location records are kept, who can access them and how they might be used. Reports of officers misusing the data and concerns about access by federal agencies have added to wider debate over privacy and police surveillance.
Flock contracts are often decided by local governments or police departments, while state rules can affect where the cameras operate and how they are funded. The decisions matter because they shape how widely vehicle movements are tracked and what safeguards apply.
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Originally published by TechCrunch as “At least 10 local governments have moved to drop Flock’s surveillance cameras since summer”.