At least 10 local governments move to restrict or drop Flock surveillance cameras

The pullbacks show growing local unease over how license plate data is stored, searched and shared, even as Flock says customers own the data.

At least ten local governments and police departments have since the summer moved to restrict or end their use of Flock Safety surveillance technology, as worries about mass surveillance and data privacy grow. Flock sells license plate readers, drones and microphone-based devices that detect gunshots, and more than 100,000 of its cameras are in use across the United States. Recent moves include Monroe, Ohio, Newburgh, New York, Richmond, Virginia, Hopkinton and New Bedford in Massachusetts, and Lansing, Michigan, while residents of League City, Texas, voted to have the license plate readers removed. Critics point to misuse by officers and to federal immigration agencies gaining access to the data, and Flock responds that customers own their data and that the company does not sell it. In August Flock said it would cut the default retention period for new customers from 30 days to seven and require a case code before searches.