Key facts
- Flock Safety is reducing its default data retention period for its automated license plate readers (ALPRs) from 30 days to seven.
- A new 'Evidence Mode' allows law enforcement to retain data longer based on state or local policy.
- Agencies can now restrict data sharing with other municipalities to specific types of criminal offenses.
- The 'Audit Assistance' feature, which flags abnormal search activity, will become standard for all law enforcement customers.
- A mandatory reason, such as a case code, is now required for all searches, with exceptions for emergencies.
Flock Safety, facing significant backlash over alleged misuse of its AI-powered automated license plate readers (ALPRs) by law enforcement, has announced a series of new privacy and security measures. The company is reducing its standard data retention period from 30 days to seven, a move it states aligns with the fact that 90% of searches occur within a week.
To accommodate investigations, Flock is introducing 'Evidence Mode,' which allows agencies to extend data preservation based on local policies. Furthermore, law enforcement agencies will have greater control over data sharing, able to restrict searches to specific criminal offenses when sharing with other municipalities. This aims to prevent broad surveillance for non-criminal matters.
In response to concerns about potential abuse, Flock is making its 'Audit Assistance' feature standard for all customers. This system flags abnormal search behavior and can lock out users until an administrator reviews their activity. Additionally, searches will now require a mandatory reason, such as a case code, with exceptions for genuine emergencies like locating missing children.
Despite these changes, critics like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) remain skeptical. The ACLU described the reforms as a "thinly veiled PR attempt" and argued that the company's core issue of mass surveillance, collecting billions of license plate scans monthly on individuals not suspected of wrongdoing, remains unaddressed. Concerns persist that the system can be used to target vulnerable communities and chill public behavior.