Flock Safety, the surveillance technology company facing intensifying scrutiny from lawmakers, civil liberties advocates, and citizens across the U.S., announced Thursday significant changes to its platform. These updates are intended to address privacy concerns and documented abuses of the system by law enforcement officers.

The company operates a vast network of automated cameras that record license plate numbers and vehicle characteristics. While police credit the tech with helping locate missing persons and suspects in violent crimes, critics argue its ubiquity constitutes unconstitutional warrantless mass surveillance.

Mandatory Guardrails and Data Limits

In an interview, Flock CEO Garrett Langley stated that several previously optional guardrails will become mandatory for all users by January 1. Key changes include:

  • Audit Tools: Implementation of tools designed to flag abnormal search behavior, leading to immediate account lockouts pending review.
  • Shortened Retention: The standard data retention window will be cut from 30 days to just seven, unless the data is preserved as evidence for a specific case.
  • Case Requirements: Officers will now be required to enter a code tying every search to a specific case number within their records management system.
  • Granular Access Control: Agencies can now decide which offense types outside jurisdictions can search for, potentially blocking data access for immigration enforcement.

Skepticism Amidst Reports of Misuse

The response from civil liberties groups has been skeptical. The ACLU described the shortened retention window as a "step in the right direction" but dismissed other changes as "retreads" of inadequate measures. Legal experts, such as Robert Frommer of the Institute for Justice, called the moves "window dressing" by a company in "panic mode," arguing that access should be determined by judges with warrants rather than police discretion.

The pressure on Flock follows high-profile instances of misuse. Recently, six employees of the Savannah Police Department were fired for allegedly using the tool to search for friends and family. A Washington Post investigation also found nearly 50 instances of officers accused of using the cameras for unauthorized purposes, including tracking romantic partners.