Local governments in the US pull back from Flock license plate cameras over privacy fears

A growing number of American cities and police departments are reconsidering their use of surveillance cameras made by Flock Safety, according to TechCrunch. At least 10 local governments and police agencies have moved since the summer to end, curb or restrict the company's technology, amid wider unease about AI-driven monitoring and the handling of personal data.

Flock, founded in 2017, sells license plate readers, drones and sound-detecting devices meant to help police with tasks such as locating stolen cars or missing people. More than 100,000 of its cameras are in use across the country.

Who is stepping back

Over the past three months, places including Richmond, Virginia; Lansing, Michigan; Newburgh, New York; and several Massachusetts communities have moved to cancel contracts or stop using the cameras. Residents of League City, Texas, voted against continued use of the readers this week, and the devices are due to be removed. Earlier, Asheville, North Carolina, terminated its contract, and a Colorado sheriff's office said it would stop using the system.

The objections vary. Some focus on privacy, others on who can see the collected data, including concerns that federal immigration authorities have been able to query local license plate records. Others point to procurement, arguing that police departments sometimes adopted the cameras with little input from elected councils or the public.

Company response and policy changes

Flock told TechCrunch that its customers own and control their data, that it does not sell data and that it has no contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It said removing the tools sets public safety back. In August, the company cut its default data retention for new customers from 30 days to seven and began requiring a case code before database searches.

Not every city is walking away. Cleveland extended its contract but limited immigration-related searches and restricted database access to its own police. At the state level, Florida barred plate readers from state highways and Texas paused state funding for Flock. In Congress, separate bills have been introduced to restrict federal money for such systems or to ban them outright.

A privacy expert quoted by the outlet described the backlash as part of a "growing public skepticism toward technology."

Why it matters

For readers following computing and internet issues, the dispute shows how data collection is increasingly debated at the local level, not only online. Questions about retention periods, access controls and data sharing between agencies are becoming central to how public bodies choose and oversee technology suppliers.