Flock adds safeguards to licence-plate readers after wave of stalking cases

What the report says

Flock Safety, a US company based in Atlanta, has announced new privacy and oversight measures for its automatic licence-plate readers after reporting and advocacy scrutiny over alleged misuse by police officers. The changes come after The Washington Post reported that dozens of law enforcement officers across the United States had been accused of using the cameras to track or harass women, including current and former partners. Flock operates roughly 120,000 cameras nationwide, and its systems are used by police agencies and some private groups.

According to Al Jazeera’s report, the company said it will shorten the recommended default retention period for plate images from 30 days to 7 days, while allowing longer storage in limited “evidence mode” cases. It also said agencies will be able to set offence-based limits on what other agencies can search, and that audit tools will become mandatory to record searches and flag unusual activity. Flock said users showing abnormal behaviour may be locked out pending review, and case codes will be required for law enforcement searches by the end of 2026.

The policy shift matters because Flock’s cameras have been criticized as a form of mass surveillance with limited oversight. The American Civil Liberties Union welcomed the shorter retention period but said other changes did not go far enough. More broadly, the case highlights ongoing tensions in the US over police access to surveillance technology, data sharing, and civil liberties.