Flock Safety tightens privacy rules after backlash, cuts data retention to 7 days

Published Aug 13, 02:23 PM UTC

Flock Safety, a surveillance camera network company, announced significant privacy and accountability changes following public backlash and media reports of law enforcement misuse. CEO Garrett Langley detailed the changes in a blog post, including shortening the default license plate data retention period from 30 to 7 days, requiring law enforcement to use a tool to flag improper searches, and mandating case codes for searches by the end of 2026. The changes come after Business Insider and The Washington Post reported cases of innocent drivers being stopped at gunpoint or injured due to misread plates, and at least 50 law enforcement officers being charged with misusing license-plate-reader systems, with Flock cameras involved in 46 of those cases. Flock acknowledged the arrests of several officers who allegedly abused the system. Emergency searches will still be allowed but flagged for review.