Police Unmask Surveillance Targets Because of Flock Redaction Error
4 months ago
- #police
- #privacy
- #surveillance
- Police departments using Flock have leaked details of millions of surveillance targets and active investigations due to unredacted license plate data in public records.
- Flock responded by threatening the site HaveIBeenFlocked.com, which exposed the data, and limiting public access to audit logs.
- Unredacted Flock audit logs reveal millions of license plate searches by police departments nationwide, compiled into a searchable database.
- The incident underscores risks of commercial surveillance products becoming interconnected databases of people's movements and police activities.
- Flock blamed public records requests for the exposure and took steps to limit transparency, raising concerns about future access to information.
- Cris van Pelt, creator of HaveIBeenFlocked, aims to highlight the pervasive nature of Flock's monitoring and vows to keep the site online despite threats.