tech
‘Creepy surveillance’: why some cities are shutting down Flock cameras amid privacy concerns
Some cities are cutting ties with firm that provides license plate reader cameras, others are signing new contracts and many are still looking for their footing
TL;DR
- Flock Safety's license plate reader cameras are facing protests and contract re-evaluations in various cities due to privacy concerns.
- Critics cite instances of hackers accessing live camera feeds and a change in terms of service that removed assurances about data ownership and sales.
- Concerns exist about the potential for indirect data sharing with federal agencies, such as ICE, even if Flock claims it does not work directly with them.
- Security researchers have demonstrated vulnerabilities in Flock cameras, raising alarms about potential misuse for stalking or unauthorized surveillance.
- Flock Safety asserts that customer data is owned by the clients, never sold, and that security vulnerabilities have been addressed or were due to installation errors.
- Some cities, like Mountain View, California, have terminated contracts, while others, like Dunwoody, Georgia, are deferring contract renewals to address community concerns.
- Competitors like Axon and Motorola also offer similar technologies but have faced less public scrutiny due to greater opacity.
- Flock Safety has implemented new safeguards to screen searches for sensitive information and offers a transparency portal for auditing data searches.