Flock Introduces Strict Privacy Safeguards Following Police Stalking Scandals

A Flock Safety licence-plate reader is seen along a public road in Houston, Texas, on October 16, 2025 [David Goldman/AP]. Flock Safety has announced enhanced privacy protections in response to multiple reports indicating that US police officers misused the company's AI-powered automatic licence-plate readers to stalk and harass women.

Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Flock manages approximately 120,000 cameras throughout the US that photograph vehicles and licence plates, storing the data in a searchable database. While Flock promotes its technology as an essential crime-fighting instrument for law enforcement and private organizations like neighbourhood watch committees, critics argue that the company runs a mass surveillance network with minimal oversight.

The company faced intense scrutiny after an investigation published earlier this month by The Washington Post revealed that at least 46 law enforcement officers nationwide were accused of exploiting the license-plate cameras for unauthorized tracking, including targeting wives, girlfriends, and ex-partners.

In a Thursday statement, Flock announced it is shortening the suggested default data retention duration for images from 30 days to 7 days. It is also launching an “evidence mode” to permit extended storage periods during exceptional situations. Additionally, law enforcement agencies can now implement offence-based filters to limit which data external agencies are allowed to access.

“Cities can choose which type of offences are permissible for other agencies to access their cameras,” Flock stated. “For example, City A could allow City B to search its cameras only for a stolen vehicle, missing person, or violent crime while blocking searches related to immigration enforcement.”

Furthermore, Flock will make an audit feature mandatory to record all searches and identify unusual activity, while locking out users displaying “abnormal behaviour” pending further review. The company also noted that case codes will become mandatory for all law enforcement searches by the conclusion of 2026.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) praised Flock’s choice to reduce the recommended data retention timeline, but argued that the remaining modifications were superficial or recycled iterations of insufficient safety mechanisms. “While one proposed change to Flock’s operations might constitute a positive development, most of the other changes seem to be following Flock’s playbook of treating legitimate privacy concerns as mere public relations problems,” the ACLU stated.