Flock Safety, based in Atlanta, Georgia, operates about 120,000 cameras across the United States that capture vehicle and license plate images, stored in a searchable database. Flock's products are marketed as crime prevention tools for law enforcement and private groups such as neighborhood watch committees. However, critics accuse the company of running a mass surveillance system without adequate oversight.
Flock faced renewed pressure after The Washington Post published an investigation earlier this month revealing that at least 46 law enforcement officers across the U.S. were accused of using license plate cameras to improperly track individuals, including wives, girlfriends, or ex-partners.
In a statement on Thursday, Flock said it will reduce the recommended default image retention period from 30 days to 7 days, while introducing an “evidence mode” that allows longer retention in exceptional cases. Law enforcement agencies can also add filters by crime type to restrict what data other agencies can access.
“A city can choose which types of crimes other agencies are allowed to search its cameras for. For example, City A could allow City B to search its cameras only for stolen vehicles, missing persons, or violent crimes, while blocking searches related to immigration enforcement,” Flock stated.
Flock will also mandate an audit feature that logs every search and alerts on unusual behavior. The system will lock out users with “anomalous behavior” for further review. The company said it will require case codes for all law enforcement searches by the end of 2026.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) welcomed Flock's decision to reduce data retention time, but argued that the other changes are superficial or repackage previously insufficient safety features.
“While one change in Flock's operations may be a positive step, most of the other changes seem to follow Flock's playbook: treating privacy concerns as merely a public relations matter,” the ACLU said.
