120,000 US Cameras Shut Down
Cities across the US are canceling contracts with Flock, a company providing AI-enabled license plate readers, due to public outcry over privacy concerns, but the fate of collected data remains uncertain
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US lawmakers plan to introduce legislation to restrict Flock camera use.
Boston dumps Flock after company shared data nationwide in violation of contract.
US lawmakers plan to introduce the No FLOCK Act to restrict Flock camera use.
Boston dumps Flock after company shared data nationwide in violation of contract.
Boston dumps Flock after company shared data nationwide in violation of contract.
US lawmakers plan to introduce the No FLOCK Act to restrict Flock camera use and withhold federal funding from non-compliant states.
Story published. Cities across the US are canceling contracts with Flock, a company providing AI-enabled license plate readers, due to public outcry over privacy concerns, but the fate of collected data remains uncertain
Cities across the US are canceling their contracts with Flock, a company that provides AI-enabled license plate readers, due to public outcry over privacy concerns. The company has installed over 120,000 cameras across the US, and its data retention policies have fueled opposition to its surveillance network.
Lawmakers in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, unanimously voted to end the city’s Flock contract, while the mayor of Stevens Point also ended the city’s contract. These decisions reflect a growing trend of cities ditching Flock's controversial license plate-reading cameras.
Flock’s cameras are not only sold to local governments but also to private businesses and citizens. In the past, some cities even offered grants for homeowners associations that wanted to install Flock cameras in their neighborhoods. However, the rapid expansion of Flock's surveillance network has been met with increasing opposition, particularly due to reports of misuses of the company's data.
One notable example of Flock's data retention policies is the company's attempt to sell anonymized data collected in Sheboygan back to the city’s public works department. This incident has raised concerns about the company's handling of sensitive information. Many municipal Flock contracts allow the company to retain data long after it has been collected, leaving uncertainty about what happens to the data after a contract is terminated.
## What happens next The cancellation of contracts does not necessarily mean that the cameras will be immediately removed or that the collected data will be deleted. The fate of the data remains uncertain, and it is unclear what Flock can and will do with the information it has gathered. As cities continue to re-evaluate their surveillance capabilities, the question of what happens to the data collected by Flock's cameras remains unresolved.
## Why it matters The controversy surrounding Flock's license plate readers highlights the ongoing debate about privacy and surveillance in the US. As technology continues to advance and surveillance capabilities expand, cities must balance the need for public safety with the need to protect individual privacy. The backlash against Flock serves as a reminder that the use of surveillance technology must be carefully considered and regulated to prevent misuse and protect citizens' rights.
