- Flock CEO Goes Ballistic on Critics as More Americans Question Mass Driver Surveillance – ACLU
The company Flock, which sells participation in a nationwide license plate reader network as well as other surveillance technology, has been under a lot of pressure lately as increasing numbers of Americans realize they don’t like the mass surveillance the company sells or its use in the Trump Administration’s war on immigrants. That pressure seems to be resulting in demagogic attacks on the motives of its critics, with the CEO saying they want to “normalize lawlessness” and “weaken public safety.”
Read all about it here.
- Washington lawmakers push for privacy regulations on Flock cameras – Komo News
OLYMPIA, Wash. — Washington state lawmakers are advancing two bills, known as the Driver Privacy Act, to regulate the use of Flock cameras, which capture and store license plate information to aid law enforcement.
Read all about it here.
- Controversial Flock license plate readers shut off by another Eastern WA city – Tri City Herald
Prosser has become the first Benton County city to back away from the license plate readers run by Flock Safety Systems, as controversy over access to the data grows. The city announced Monday that the cameras across the city had been shut off and weren’t collecting any information, City Administrator Rachel Shaw said in a press release. The city is maintaining its contract with the Georgia-based company through November 2026.
Read all about it here.
- Vulnerability in Flock Condor Cameras Lets Anyone Spy on the Public – Independent
The products of Flock Safety, one of the largest vendors of police surveillance technology, such as automated license plate readers (ALPRs) and gunfire locators, are frequently plagued by security vulnerabilities, either due to inherent flaws or user failure to follow best practices. As detailed in a recent video investigation by technologist Benn Jordan, several Flock Safety’s AI-powered “Condor” cameras were found broadcasting both live and archived footage directly to the open internet. No passwords or login credentials were needed and the auto-focus feature in these cameras certainly raises privacy questions.
Read all about it here.
- Data shows Flock tracked Eugene vehicles weeks after the city asked it to stop – KLCC
Some Flock cameras in Eugene may have been online several weeks after the city ordered them to be turned off.
- AI Surveillance Startup Caught Using Sweatshop Workers to Monitor US Residents – Futurism
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.
- Mountlake Terrace cancels Flock Safety contract – Herald Net
EVERETT — The Mountlake Terrace City Council unanimously voted to end the city’s contract with Flock Safety on Thursday, citing community division and public records concerns.
- We Hacked Flock Safety Cameras in under 30 Seconds – Benn Jordan
- City of Olympia to put ‘hoods’ over Flock cameras before ultimate removal – King5
At a city council study session Tuesday, members moved to render the city’s 15 active Flock Safety cameras functionless using “protective hoods.”
- Eugene cancels contract with Flock cameras over privacy, data concerns – Yahoo
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Eugene has officially cancelled its contract with Flock Safety cameras, the latest in a line of Oregon cities getting rid of the license-plate-detecting technology.
- Springfield Police to cover, remove Flock license plate cameras after security concerns – NBC16
SPRINGFIELD, Ore. — The Springfield Police Department said Friday it will cover all Flock automatic license plate recognition cameras in the city in the coming days as it prepares to remove them.
- San Marcos becomes latest Central Texas city to cut ties with Flock cameras – KXAN
SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) – The San Marcos City Council decided this week not to move forward with its contract with Flock Safety – the controversial company that produces automated license plate readers, or LPRs.
- Flock Safety cameras used to monitor protesters, rights group finds – The Record
Police departments across the country searched records from a national network of automated license plate reader cameras hundreds of times over the last year to track protest activity, according to new research from the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF).
Read all about it here. - 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.
- Judge denies request to exempt Flock footage from Public Records Act – Herald Net
MOUNT VERNON — A Skagit County Superior Court judge denied a request from Stanwood and Sedro-Woolley to exempt Flock camera footage from the Public Records Act.
- Police used ‘Flock’ cameras to accuse Denver woman of theft — then she had to ‘prove’ own innocence even though she wasn’t there. Here’s how – Money Wise
They say that the camera never lies but, in the case of one Colorado woman, it certainly didn’t get to the truth of the matter either.
- Lynnwood pauses Flock license plate cameras after immigration-related data breach – Lynnwood Today
Just five months after launch, the City of Lynnwood paused its Flock license plate reader cameras altogether after a University of Washington study found that two out-of-state law enforcement agencies accessed the City’s database for immigration-related searches, breaking promises made by the Lynnwood Police Department when the City Council approved the cameras in January.
- Wyden, Krishnamoorthi Urge FTC to Investigate Surveillance Tech Company on Negligently Handling Americans’ Personal Data – Senator Ron Wyden
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore. and Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., today called for a federal investigation into surveillance technology company Flock Safety, for failing to implement cybersecurity protections and needlessly exposing Americans’ personal data to theft by hackers, foreign spies, and criminals.
- Redmond PD completely suspends Flock camera use amid statewide concerns over ICE access – KOMO News
REDMOND, Wash. — The Redmond Police Department (RPD) announced Wednesday that it has suspended operation of its automated license-plate reader (ALPR) system, commonly known as “Flock cameras,” following a recommendation by the Redmond City Council on Nov. 3.
- US lawmakers call for FTC probe into Flock Safety over data security failures – Biometric Update
U.S. Senator Ron Wyden and Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi are urging the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate Flock Safety, saying the fast-growing surveillance technology company has failed to implement basic cybersecurity protections and exposing sensitive data to hackers, foreign intelligence services, and criminal networks.
- Flock’s Surveillance Storm: Error-Ridden Cameras Ignite Bipartisan Backlash – Web Pro News
Flock Safety’s AI cameras, scanning billions of license plates monthly, face mounting bipartisan backlash over errors, privacy breaches, and security flaws. Incidents of wrongful accusations and unauthorized data access have united critics, prompting contract cancellations and calls for federal probes. This surveillance storm challenges the future of tech-driven policing.
- Flock haters cross political divides to remove error-prone cameras – Ars Technica
Flock Safety—the surveillance company behind the country’s largest network of automated license plate readers (ALPRs)—currently faces attacks on multiple fronts seeking to tear down the invasive and error-prone cameras across the US.
- 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.
- Cities reverse course on automated license plate reader cameras amid privacy concerns – The Record
Cambridge is one of several cities where the Flock Safety cameras — which are now present in thousands of cities across the country — have recently been taken offline.
- 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.
- Flock No! Fear of AI Cameras Brings Hundreds, Including Councilmembers, to Heated Town Hall – WestWord
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s utilization of Flock Safety cameras, which use artificial intelligence to track and collect data by surveilling cars, drew a large and passionate crowd to a town hall hosted on Wednesday, October 22, with many people opposed to the technology.
- 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.
- Leaving the Door Wide Open – University of Washington
The University of Washington has published a detailed expose on the use of Flock’s surveillance network by immigration authorities.
UPDATE: 11/10: Council voted to pause Flock, adding a layer of stoppage on top of LPD’s temporary pause.
Make your voice heard! Public comment at City Council Monday 02/09