Flock Safety has announced a series of new policies governing how police can use its AI surveillance cameras, following dozens of reported cases of abuse. The changes arrived after the arrest of three Georgia deputies and an investigation into a Massachusetts officer, but significant gaps remain in the rules.
Flock Safety cameras can track number plates and car features and, on certain models, humans as well. They can also listen for disturbances such as gunshots. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, Flock operates more than 120,000 automatic number plate readers in at least 6,000 cities.
These camera networks have drawn scrutiny over their potential to enable casual surveillance of communities. Documented abuses include police using the systems to monitor former partners or inventing pretexts for searches that resulted in information being shared with agencies such as ICE. That has led to protests, contract cancellations and, in some cases, cities blocking cameras by wrapping them in bin bags because Flock will not remove them.
What the new rules change
This represents Flock’s largest response to these issues to date. However, most of the changes will not be required until the end of the year, and some will not affect existing contracts. Flock has also created exceptions to the new rules, leaving police and sheriff’s departments responsible for enforcing them.
One of the biggest changes is a reduction in the length of time Flock retains camera data, and consequently how long that data can be used for searches, from 30 days to seven. Flock also states that existing customers will keep their current, democratically approved retention periods, meaning most users will not see the change for some time.
Loopholes remain
A new evidence mode ignores the retention period, allowing police to hold data indefinitely while pursuing active investigations of their choice. Flock is also adding a feature called offence filtering, which can limit the specific camera information that outside agencies can access. This changes little because police departments can set their own limits when sharing data, and departments have already violated state laws by sharing information with ICE, the FBI and other agencies.
Another change makes Flock’s new audit assistance feature mandatory by 2027. Audit assistance flags suspicious camera use, such as repeatedly searching for the same number plate. The ACLU notes that Flock has attempted similar measures before, and the security measure failed because police were easily able to circumvent the system’s requirement that they input the purpose of their search. It encourages Flock to use an independent evaluator to oversee its regulations.
