What just happened? Flock Safety is changing how police search its license plate camera database as the company faces growing questions in Washington over privacy, accuracy, and misuse. The company told Senator Josh Hawley that it has added more controls to its search system, which scans about 20 billion license plates a month.
Until recently, users were required to explain why they were conducting a search by typing into an open text field. Flock said those entries were not always specific enough. The company has replaced the field with a drop-down menu of standardized categories based on the FBI’s crime-reporting system.
By the end of the year, law enforcement users will also need to enter a case number before running a search. Flock said that requirement can be waived in emergencies.
The changes were outlined in a letter from Flock’s chief legal officer to Hawley, the Missouri Republican who opened an investigation into the company last month. Hawley led a Senate hearing on Wednesday examining Flock and three other companies that provide similar surveillance technology.
The hearing featured a Florida woman who spent 13 days in jail after her car was detected by a Flock camera near the scene of a fatal crash. Authorities were looking for a similar vehicle.
Flock’s automated license plate recognition system has spread quickly. The company says it has about 120,000 cameras nationwide. Police departments and public-safety officials argue that the technology can help find missing children, track stolen vehicles, and investigate hit-and-run crashes.
The system has also drawn criticism from privacy advocates, civil-liberties groups, and people on both sides of the political divide. Critics are concerned that agencies can use the cameras to follow a person’s movements over time. They also point to allegations that some officers have used the system for personal reasons, including stalking.
Flock said it does not maintain “a single consolidated count of confirmed customer misuse.” The company said its customers determine whether a search was justified and whether discipline is appropriate when an employee abuses access.
The company has also started adding its own monitoring tools. In April, it introduced a system designed to flag unusual search activity. Flock said the system has identified several cases of misuse, including some that led to arrests. It is also working on a feature that would lock users out when their behavior appears abnormal.
Hawley said the issue could prompt congressional action. “We have an entire constitutional system to protect individual liberty,” he told The Wall Street Journal. Without limits from companies or the government, he added, “we’re going to have a huge problem with the invasion of basic rights and liberties.”
The company is also reducing the amount of data it stores by default. New customers will have a seven-day retention period, down from 30 days. Existing customers will have to opt in if they want the shorter period.
Agencies can still seek permission to retain data longer, but Flock said those requests must be approved “either by an elected governing body…or by an elected official.” The company said about 3% of its law-enforcement customers keep data for more than 30 days. Its maximum retention period is one year.
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