What does it take to become the most successful AI surveillance company in 2025? If you’re anything like Flock, the startup selling automatic license plate readers and facial recognition tech to cops, you don’t really need much AI at all — just an army of sweatshop workers in the global south.
Category: Data Sharing
-
The Technical and Ethical Failure of Mass Surveillance in Lynnwood – Lynnwood Times
As someone who takes privacy and the 4th Amendment seriously, I have grave misgivings about the surveillance contract Lynnwood has with Flock. In what LPD claims was a misconfiguration, they exposed this surveillance database to outside agencies, which used it for immigration-related searches. This is contrary to explicit promises made to the Lynnwood City Council. As a Systems Engineer, I find this excuse highly concerning. A ‘checkbox error’ that violates state law and civil rights isn’t a glitch; it’s a failure of governance and architecture.
Read all about it here. -
Somebody’s watching me: Flock versus red light cameras in Lynnwood – Lynnwood Times
LYNNWOOD—In reaction to several members of the community voicing their concerns that the City of Lynnwood’s Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) technology may have been accessed for immigration-related queries at its October 24 meeting, the Lynnwood Police Department (LPD) announced last week that it temporarily paused the law enforcement tool known as Flock Safety cameras citing public trust.
-
Lawmakers say stolen police logins are exposing Flock surveillance cameras to hackers – Tech Crunch
Lawmakers have called on the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Flock Safety, a company that operates license plate-scanning cameras, for allegedly failing to implement cybersecurity protections that expose its camera network to hackers and spies.
-
Lynnwood’s Flock Cameras Under Fire: Boosting Public Safety or Eroding Privacy in the Fight Against Crime? – Lynnwood Times
The Lynnwood Police Department on Friday, October 24, issued a statement to “address potential misconceptions” of its use of Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) technology in response to a recent report by the University of Washington Center for Human Rights.
-
Out-of-state agencies used Lynnwood license plate cameras for immigration searches, UW study finds – MLT News
Two external law enforcement agencies accessed Lynnwood’s Flock license plate reader (ALPR) database for immigration-related searches, contradicting state law and promises from the Lynnwood Police Department (LPD) prior to the City Council approving the cameras. Police point to a lack of communication from Flock, stating the breach came by surprise.
-
Records: Feds accessed Flock camera info thousands of times in Snohomish County – Herald Net
The rapid spread of Flock Safety cameras throughout Snohomish County has raised questions about who has access to the license plate data and whether police departments have unknowingly violated state law.
-
Flock Can Share Driver-Surveillance Data Even When Police Departments Opt Out – ACLU
The company’s default agreement with police departments grants the company license to share people’s license plate data.
-
Cambridge stops using license plate reader cameras over data sharing concerns – CBS News
The Cambridge City Council has suspended its use of Flock Safety cameras amid growing concerns that the company may be sharing data with the federal government.