flock safety

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Flock's CEO Faced Me After Its Cameras Led to My Wrongful Stop
2 months ago
- Joel experienced a wrongful police stop due to an NCIC database error amplified by Flock cameras, not a Flock system error.
- Flock CEO Garrett Langley defends the technology, citing over a million crimes solved last year and a very low false positive rate.
- Langley advocates for modernizing the FBI's NCIC database with expiration periods and feedback loops to prevent stale data.
- Flock does not own the data; local governments own it, and Flock stores it on AWS with 30-day default retention.
- Privacy and Fourth Amendment concerns are addressed by local elected officials setting retention policies, not by Flock.
- Langley apologizes for calling vandals 'domestic terrorists,' clarifying he opposes illegal vandalism but supports lawful protest.
- Flock requires multi-factor authentication and has audit logs to detect police misuse, such as stalking.
- Langley envisions expanding to all 17,000 U.S. cities to make crime harder to get away with, citing San Francisco's success.
- Some cities cancel Flock contracts but later re-adopt after crime increases, according to Langley.
- Congressional threats to defund Flock-using cities are dismissed as unlikely, with Langley favoring state-level regulation.
Flock surveillance cameras can pose a crash risk for drivers, US experts say
2 months ago
- Flock Safety cameras are criticized for AI surveillance and potential roadside hazards due to their placement and lack of safety features.
- A camera in Greene County, Ohio lacks a breakaway plate, is placed too close to the road, and has no safety inspection stickers, violating state guidelines.
- The Guardrail Guy, Steve Eimers, documents Flock camera installations failing to meet crashworthiness standards, citing death risks from fixed roadside structures.
- Flock claims to follow safety requirements, but critics say most installations lack breakaway plates, and poles pose spear-like hazards in crashes.
- ALPR cameras from Flock and other companies often miss safety inspections, especially in rural areas, increasing collision risks for drivers.
Flock cameras are getting mobbed
2 months ago
- Flock Safety cameras are being vandalized across the US, with individuals using saws, paint, and trucks, and cities canceling contracts due to privacy concerns.
- The company's network of 120,000 cameras records license plates and vehicle data, used by police for crime-solving, but critics argue it invades privacy and enables surveillance.
- Opposition to Flock is bipartisan, uniting conservatives and progressives who see it as a threat to individual liberties and a step toward a police state.
- Police have misused Flock cameras to stalk ex-partners and track individuals, despite the company's claims of only logging vehicles.
- Flock retains data for 30 days by default, and its nationwide searchability raises concerns about mass surveillance, with false positives like the Joel Feder incident.
- Activists and commentators on both sides of the political spectrum, including Hasan Piker and Tucker Carlson, condemn the surveillance state fostered by Flock.
- Flock CEO Garrett Langley defends the technology, arguing safety and privacy can coexist, but critics point to misuse and the company's lack of foolproof systems.
Expansion of Flock Camera Systems Is Leading to More False Positives
2 months ago
- Flock Safety's expansion into law enforcement has led to widespread criticism and multiple cities canceling agreements due to public outcry.
- The system generates numerous false positives, as seen when automated plate readers misread New Jersey license plates, causing innocent drivers to be wrongly targeted.
- In Minnesota, a journalist test-driving a Range Rover was surrounded by police because Flock misread the plate as stolen due to a missing small digit on NJ plates.
- In Colorado, a woman was wrongly summoned for package theft based solely on a Flock camera sighting, and had to prove her innocence with her own evidence.
- Law enforcement's reliance on Flock's flawed tech allows cops to make errors faster and at scale, undermining the presumption of innocence and forcing citizens to document their movements.
- Flock's defense that it cannot control police use is weak, as it has made no effort to limit abusive access until pressured externally.
I Reported on Flock's Cameras. Now I'm One of the System's Mistakes
2 months ago
- A journalist and his wife were surrounded by four police cars after Flock Safety's ALPR system flagged their press car as stolen due to a license plate misentry.
- The error originated from a partial plate (34 DTM) entered into the FBI's NCIC database instead of the full plate (34 10 DTM), causing a nationwide hunt for the wrong vehicle.
- Flock Safety's system is designed to alert on any characters matching a hotlist, including partial matches, and relies on human verification, which failed in this case.
- The Plymouth Police Chief admitted human error but defended his officers' protocol, while Flock's Chief Communications Officer apologized and discussed potential system improvements.
- The incident highlights the lack of federal regulation for ALPR data storage and the need for guardrails to prevent errors in AI-powered surveillance systems.
Flock Credibility Lost as It Repeatedly Lies to City Councils, Police, & Public
2 months ago
- Flock Safety lied to Oshkosh city council about its ALPR system not creating heat maps, leading to contract approval and rapid revocation within a day.
- Flock has a pattern of misleading government customers, including falsely claiming no federal data access in Colorado, then admitting it had contracts with CBP and DHS.
- Despite denying data sharing with ICE, Flock knew local police shared ALPR data with immigration agencies, and its misleading blog downplayed the issue.
- Flock's 'Proactive Search Term Tool' designed to prevent improper searches like abortion enforcement was easily circumvented, as shown by vague search terms such as 'investigation' and 'hehehe'.
- Flock falsely claimed partnership with ACLU to design its ALPR system, which the ACLU denies, undermining its credibility.

flock safety

Flock's CEO Faced Me After Its Cameras Led to My Wrongful Stop

Flock surveillance cameras can pose a crash risk for drivers, US experts say

Flock cameras are getting mobbed

Expansion of Flock Camera Systems Is Leading to More False Positives

I Reported on Flock's Cameras. Now I'm One of the System's Mistakes

Flock Credibility Lost as It Repeatedly Lies to City Councils, Police, & Public