U.S. News: Flock Plans to Add Safeguards to AI Surveillance Tools After Backlash

 

“Flock Safety said it would add safeguards to its surveillance products to address potential abuse by law enforcement, after months of backlash and vandalism of its AI-enabled camera system.

 

All law-enforcement customers will be required by the end of 2026 to adopt a tool that flags abnormal activity for review, the company said Thursday. Atlanta-based Flock said the tool has been associated with the arrests of several officers accused of abusing the system. It will also institute a "proactive lockout" that suspends access when the system detects suspicious behavior.

 

The company also said it would require case codes for all database searches and reduce the default data-retention period from 30 to seven days.

 

"These changes reflect years of work and deliberation," Flock said. "They are not the end of that work, but simply the continuation of our commitment to both safety and privacy."

 

Tensions have risen in communities across the country over the use of the cameras, which photograph the back of passing vehicles and collect license-plate data and other identifying information. Flock has more than 12,000 customers and has touted scanning 20 billion license plates a month.

 

Supporters say the cameras have helped police reduce crime and solve cases. But critics say they violate privacy rights, citing incidents where officers have allegedly used Flock's cameras for stalking.

 

The American Civil Liberties Union, which has long criticized Flock and other automatic license plate-readers, said Thursday that it wasn't confident the new security measures would do enough to prevent misconduct.

 

"Many of the proposed changes seem to be a thinly veiled PR attempt to counter communities' genuine privacy concerns with its mass surveillance system with largely hollow security promises, rather than an earnest effort to address them," the civil-rights group said.

 

The Wall Street Journal reported in June that about 50 cities and counties have canceled Flock contracts or deactivated cameras since early last year. Some opponents have taken matters into their own hands, attacking the cameras with saws or spray painting over the lenses.” [1]

 

Similar information from Iranian civilian traffic cameras were used to kill Iranian leaders at the start of recent hostilities. This is deadly serious adventure.

 

The integration of civilian infrastructure—such as traffic monitoring systems, facial recognition, and digital tracking—into broader security and intelligence frameworks is a documented aspect of modern geopolitical dynamics.

 

1. U.S. News: Flock Plans to Add Safeguards to AI Surveillance Tools After Backlash. Albert, Victoria.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 14 Aug 2026: A3.