- Judge denies request to exempt Flock footage from Public Records Act – Herald Net
MOUNT VERNON — A Skagit County Superior Court judge denied a request from Stanwood and Sedro-Woolley to exempt Flock camera footage from the Public Records Act.
- Police used ‘Flock’ cameras to accuse Denver woman of theft — then she had to ‘prove’ own innocence even though she wasn’t there. Here’s how – Money Wise
They say that the camera never lies but, in the case of one Colorado woman, it certainly didn’t get to the truth of the matter either.
- Lynnwood pauses Flock license plate cameras after immigration-related data breach – Lynnwood Today
Just five months after launch, the City of Lynnwood paused its Flock license plate reader cameras altogether after a University of Washington study found that two out-of-state law enforcement agencies accessed the City’s database for immigration-related searches, breaking promises made by the Lynnwood Police Department when the City Council approved the cameras in January.
- Wyden, Krishnamoorthi Urge FTC to Investigate Surveillance Tech Company on Negligently Handling Americans’ Personal Data – Senator Ron Wyden
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore. and Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., today called for a federal investigation into surveillance technology company Flock Safety, for failing to implement cybersecurity protections and needlessly exposing Americans’ personal data to theft by hackers, foreign spies, and criminals.
- Redmond PD completely suspends Flock camera use amid statewide concerns over ICE access – KOMO News
REDMOND, Wash. — The Redmond Police Department (RPD) announced Wednesday that it has suspended operation of its automated license-plate reader (ALPR) system, commonly known as “Flock cameras,” following a recommendation by the Redmond City Council on Nov. 3.
- US lawmakers call for FTC probe into Flock Safety over data security failures – Biometric Update
U.S. Senator Ron Wyden and Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi are urging the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate Flock Safety, saying the fast-growing surveillance technology company has failed to implement basic cybersecurity protections and exposing sensitive data to hackers, foreign intelligence services, and criminal networks.
- Flock’s Surveillance Storm: Error-Ridden Cameras Ignite Bipartisan Backlash – Web Pro News
Flock Safety’s AI cameras, scanning billions of license plates monthly, face mounting bipartisan backlash over errors, privacy breaches, and security flaws. Incidents of wrongful accusations and unauthorized data access have united critics, prompting contract cancellations and calls for federal probes. This surveillance storm challenges the future of tech-driven policing.
- Flock haters cross political divides to remove error-prone cameras – Ars Technica
Flock Safety—the surveillance company behind the country’s largest network of automated license plate readers (ALPRs)—currently faces attacks on multiple fronts seeking to tear down the invasive and error-prone cameras across the US.
- Lawmakers say stolen police logins are exposing Flock surveillance cameras to hackers – Tech Crunch
Lawmakers have called on the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Flock Safety, a company that operates license plate-scanning cameras, for allegedly failing to implement cybersecurity protections that expose its camera network to hackers and spies.
- Lynnwood’s Flock Cameras Under Fire: Boosting Public Safety or Eroding Privacy in the Fight Against Crime? – Lynnwood Times
The Lynnwood Police Department on Friday, October 24, issued a statement to “address potential misconceptions” of its use of Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) technology in response to a recent report by the University of Washington Center for Human Rights.
- Out-of-state agencies used Lynnwood license plate cameras for immigration searches, UW study finds – MLT News
Two external law enforcement agencies accessed Lynnwood’s Flock license plate reader (ALPR) database for immigration-related searches, contradicting state law and promises from the Lynnwood Police Department (LPD) prior to the City Council approving the cameras. Police point to a lack of communication from Flock, stating the breach came by surprise.
- Records: Feds accessed Flock camera info thousands of times in Snohomish County – Herald Net
The rapid spread of Flock Safety cameras throughout Snohomish County has raised questions about who has access to the license plate data and whether police departments have unknowingly violated state law.
- Cities reverse course on automated license plate reader cameras amid privacy concerns – The Record
Cambridge is one of several cities where the Flock Safety cameras — which are now present in thousands of cities across the country — have recently been taken offline.
- Flock Can Share Driver-Surveillance Data Even When Police Departments Opt Out – ACLU
The company’s default agreement with police departments grants the company license to share people’s license plate data.
- Flock No! Fear of AI Cameras Brings Hundreds, Including Councilmembers, to Heated Town Hall – WestWord
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s utilization of Flock Safety cameras, which use artificial intelligence to track and collect data by surveilling cars, drew a large and passionate crowd to a town hall hosted on Wednesday, October 22, with many people opposed to the technology.
- Cambridge stops using license plate reader cameras over data sharing concerns – CBS News
The Cambridge City Council has suspended its use of Flock Safety cameras amid growing concerns that the company may be sharing data with the federal government.
- Leaving the Door Wide Open – University of Washington
The University of Washington has published a detailed expose on the use of Flock’s surveillance network by immigration authorities.
UPDATE: 10/29 – Lynnwood has paused their ALPR program, keep the pressure up to cancel the contract!
Make your voice heard! Public comment at City Council Monday 11/10