Key facts
- Multiple Wisconsin cities, including Dane County, Monona, McFarland, Fitchburg, and Stoughton, have canceled Flock camera contracts.
- Concerns over privacy, Fourth Amendment rights, and data usage have driven these cancellations.
- The withdrawal of cities diminishes the value of Flock's shared camera network for remaining users due to the 'network effect' running in reverse.
- Some cities are exploring alternative vendors like Axon that may offer stronger privacy safeguards.
- Flock has responded by announcing new audit controls and reduced data retention periods for US users.
Wisconsin cities are increasingly withdrawing from contracts with Flock, a company providing automated license plate reader cameras, due to mounting privacy and trust concerns. This exodus is diminishing the value of Flock's shared network, as the utility of the system relies on widespread camera deployment across multiple jurisdictions. The "network effect" that initially drove adoption is now working in reverse, leading to further contract cancellations.
Dane County, a significant Flock user, voted to cut $80,000 in funding and ban further expenditures on the system, citing violations of Fourth Amendment rights. The deactivation of Dane County's cameras removed its data from the network accessible by 140 other law enforcement agencies. Nearby cities like Monona reviewed their contracts, and McFarland canceled its planned deployment due to the reduced network size. Fitchburg and the University of Wisconsin police force also discontinued their Flock subscriptions, with some citing concerns about Flock's national search capabilities and data usage.
A similar trend is occurring in northeastern Wisconsin, where Oshkosh, Appleton, and Grand Chute have ended their Flock contracts, with Grand Chute switching to Axon. Kaukauna cited fiscal irresponsibility and the inability to partner with area communities as reasons for not renewing its contract. These decisions highlight a growing public resistance to Flock's technology, prompting the company to announce mandatory new audit controls and lower default data retention periods for US users.