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News
Schneier on Security · · International

Reverse-Engineering Flock Cameras

Hackers captured a Flock camera and got a look (alternate link) at the software: While much of the automatic license plate reader’s (ALPR) most sensitive storage remained encrypted and inaccessible, the joint analysis of the recovered data shows that software running on the device explicitly detects people as well as vehicles, license plates, and bicycles. The camera can produce dozens of images of a single passing vehicle and, according to several weeks of recovered logs, generated more than a million images. Its computer-vision software also sometimes isolated bumper stickers and other grap…

Who should care: Privacy officers · Cybersecurity

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News
Nextgov/FCW · · US Federal

Tech bills of the week: Monitoring AI’s use under Section 702; Preventing abuse of Flock plate readers; and more

Lawmakers introduced a batch of new bills this week targeting AI oversight, including measures to monitor AI use under the surveillance authority known as Section 702 and to limit potential misuse of Flock license plate readers. A separate proposal would direct AI toward pediatric cancer research.

Who should care: Privacy officers · Cybersecurity · General readers · AI governance · Policy

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Enforcement
EFF — Deeplinks · · International

👮 Flock Searches for the LOLs | EFFector 38.16

A new EFF report finds that police officers across the United States are entering meaningless or flippant justifications — including 'LOL,' 'LMAO,' and 'Sexy' — when logging searches of Flock Safety's automated license plate reader networks. The findings suggest that required-reason fields, meant to create accountability, are being treated as formalities.

Who should care: Lawyers · Privacy officers · Compliance · Cybersecurity · General readers · Policy

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Enforcement
EFF — Deeplinks · · International

The High Crime of “LMAO”: How Cops Are Treating Mass Surveillance As a Joke

An investigation found that police officers are routinely entering meaningless or joke entries — like 'idk' or 'LMAO' — into the required justification fields when querying automated license plate reader networks that can pull data from tens of thousands of cameras at once. The findings suggest that audit logging requirements, meant to provide accountability for mass surveillance tools, are being ignored in practice.

Who should care: Lawyers · Privacy officers · Compliance · Cybersecurity · General readers · Policy

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Enforcement
EFF — Deeplinks · · International

Cops Play Hide and Seek About Using Spy Tech to Avoid Scrutiny and Bad PR

Police departments across the United States are actively concealing their use of surveillance tools — including license plate readers, cell-site simulators, and facial recognition — by instructing officers to omit these technologies from reports and structuring records to evade public disclosure requests.

Who should care: Lawyers · Privacy officers · Compliance · Cybersecurity · General readers · Policy

#enforcement#surveillance#privacy Read original →
News
P Point/Plover Metro Wire · · International

Stevens Point to suspend use of Flock cameras amid data privacy concerns

The city of Stevens Point has decided to suspend its use of Flock Safety license plate reader cameras following concerns about data privacy. The pause suggests local officials are reconsidering how the surveillance technology is governed or used.

Who should care: General readers · Privacy officers · Policy

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AI Governance
The Guardian — Tech · · International

Cut the cameras: Flock surveillance cameras spur rare bipartisan backlash

Flock Safety, a company that makes automated license plate reader cameras used widely by law enforcement, is facing pushback from both Republican and Democratic politicians as public opposition to its surveillance network grows. The backlash is unusual given current political divisions, and polling suggests most Americans are uneasy with expanding surveillance infrastructure.

Who should care: AI governance · Lawyers · Administrators · Privacy officers · Cybersecurity · General readers · Policy

#ai-governance#surveillance#ai#privacy Read original →
News
P Prescott eNews · · International

Flock surveillance cameras become midterm campaign target as voters balk at tech companies’ power

Flock Safety's automated license plate reader cameras have become a political issue in midterm campaigns, with candidates picking up on voter unease about the growing reach of private surveillance technology in public spaces.

Who should care: Privacy officers · Cybersecurity · General readers · Policy

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News
K KTSM 9 News · · International

Data privacy concerns prompts Flock camera pushback

Communities are pushing back against Flock Safety license plate reader cameras over data privacy concerns. The opposition reflects growing unease about how footage and vehicle data collected by these systems is stored, shared, and used.

Who should care: General readers · Privacy officers · Policy

#privacy Read original →
Enforcement
EFF — Deeplinks · · International

Texas and Florida Step Back from ALPRs

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has banned state agencies from purchasing Flock camera systems, while Florida has taken a separate action limiting automated license plate reader networks. Both moves follow reporting and grassroots pressure over how these surveillance tools are funded and deployed.

Who should care: Lawyers · Privacy officers · Compliance · Cybersecurity · General readers · Policy

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News
404 Media · · International

Texas Police Used AI to Write Report About Using Flock to Search for Woman Who Had Abortion

Texas police reportedly used AI to generate a report documenting how they used Flock Safety's license plate reader network to search for a woman suspected of having an abortion. The case surfaces a documented law enforcement use of two surveillance technologies together in the context of abortion prosecution.

Who should care: General readers · AI governance · Policy

#ai Read original →
News
TechCrunch — Privacy · · International

More Americans oppose police license plate cameras than support them: survey

A recent survey found that more Americans now oppose police use of automated license plate reader cameras than support them, reflecting growing public concern about surveillance technology in law enforcement.

Who should care: Privacy officers · Cybersecurity · General readers · Policy

#surveillance#privacy Read original →
News
G GilaValleyCentral · · International

AG Mayes to review license plate readers’ impact on privacy rights

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has announced a review of automated license plate readers and their effect on residents' privacy rights. The scope and timeline of the review are not yet detailed, but the move signals official scrutiny of a surveillance technology already widely deployed by law enforcement.

Who should care: General readers · Privacy officers · Policy

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Enforcement
WIRED — AI · · International

A Georgia Cop Used Flock to Track 2 Other Cops: His Ex and Her Friend

A Georgia police officer used Flock Safety's license plate reader network to surveil a fellow officer who was his ex-partner in an affair, as well as a man whose vehicle appeared near hers, according to internal investigation records.

Who should care: Lawyers · Privacy officers · Compliance

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News
EFF — Deeplinks · · International

EFF's Policy Position on ALPR Surveillance: Eliminate It and Reduce Its Harms

The Electronic Frontier Foundation has published a formal policy position calling for the elimination of automated license plate reader mass surveillance, arguing that ALPR systems are structurally harmful and cannot be made acceptable through regulation or technical fixes.

Who should care: Privacy officers · Cybersecurity · General readers · Policy

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News
F Fortune · · International

Flock Safety has been a venture darling. Will data privacy controversies halt its rise?

Flock Safety, a surveillance technology company that sells license plate readers and other monitoring tools to law enforcement and private communities, has grown rapidly with strong venture capital backing. The company is now facing scrutiny over how its data collection practices intersect with privacy rights.

Who should care: General readers · Privacy officers · Policy

#privacy Read original →
News
The Guardian — Tech · · International

Their cities dropped Flock surveillance cameras. They’re still being watched

Communities that successfully pushed out Flock Safety's license plate reader cameras are discovering the surveillance did not stop — cities simply switched to different vendors or kept the original cameras running. Activists in Longmont, Colorado won a contract fight against Flock only to see a new company step in with the same technology.

Who should care: Privacy officers · Cybersecurity · General readers · Policy

#surveillance#privacy Read original →
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