Law Enforcement Agencies Use Flock Safety License Plate Readers to Surveil Protesters and Activists
By
pseudalopex
An everything bagel for the brain. Substantive, layered, well-seasoned.
Summary
An investigation reveals that over 50 federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies used Flock Safety's automated license plate reader (ALPR) network to surveil protesters and activists across the United States. Through analysis of 10 months of nationwide search data, the article documents how agencies including U.S. Border Patrol conducted hundreds of searches through Flock's national surveillance network specifically targeting protest activity. In some cases, law enforcement focused on known activist groups, demonstrating how mass surveillance technology threatens freedom of assembly and protest rights.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledThrough an analysis of 10 months of nationwide searches on Flock Safety's servers, we discovered that more than 50 federal, state, and local agencies ran hundreds of searches through Flock's national network of surveillance data in connection with protest activity.
But as news cameras showed protesters filling streets of cities across the country, law enforcement officers—including U.S. Border Patrol agents—were quietly watching those same streets through different lenses: Flock Safety automated license plate readers (ALPRs) that tracked every passing car.
In some cases, law enforcement specifically targeted known activist groups, demonstrating how mass surveillance technology increasingly threatens our freedom to demonstrate.
You might also wanna read
EFF Analysis Reveals Police Misuse of License Plate Reader Data for Non-Criminal Purposes
An EFF analysis of millions of police searches of Flock Safety automated license plate reader (ALPR) data reveals that without a warrant req
eff.org·2d ago
Lawsuit alleges Boulder police Flock camera system amounts to illegal mass surveillance
A class-action lawsuit alleges that the Boulder Police Department's use of 31 Flock cameras constitutes illegal mass surveillance without pr
denverpost.com·3d ago
Cities Use Trash Bags to Block Flock Surveillance Cameras Amid Privacy Backlash
Cities facing public backlash over the use of Flock surveillance cameras are resorting to a simple, low-tech solution: covering the cameras
share.google·2h ago
Home Depot and Lowe's Share Parking Lot License Plate Data from AI Cameras with Law Enforcement
Home improvement retailers Lowe's and Home Depot have installed hundreds of AI-powered automated license plate reading cameras (Flock camera
404media.co·4d ago
BusPatrol Plans to Give Police Access to License Plate Data from School Bus AI Cameras
BusPatrol, a company that installed AI-powered cameras in tens of thousands of U.S. school buses to ticket drivers illegally passing stopped
404media.co·2h ago
UK Police Facial Recognition Relies on Policy, Not Statute, Raising Legal Concerns
James Ball examines how the UK's widespread use of live facial recognition (LFR) technology by police operates primarily through internal po
buff.ly·4d ago