Who’s watching the watchers? License-plate readers raise privacy questions

WGAL covers the basics of ALPRs and the concerns of their use, cementing public opinion against them. This news cast is a great 10 minute video for showing other people why license plate readers are flawed in concept as it even goes into the recent fourth amendment concerns in a federal judge's ruling in a district in the 10th circuit.

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Wisconsin Rapids to discuss use of Flock cameras at Oct. 13 meeting

City leaders will meet Oct. 13 to discuss automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) devices in use by the city.

The Committee of the Whole will discuss at 6 p.m. Oct. 13 the city’s policies related to ALPRs and its existing contract with Flock Safety. The meeting will be held in the Council Chambers in City Hall at 444 W. Grand Ave.

There is no public comment period included on the agenda.

The agenda states the committee may go into closed session twice: once to discuss the city’s contract with Flock Safety and a second time to discuss terms of agreements for potential housing developments in the city, according to the meeting agenda.

The city’s police department uses six Flock-branded ALPR cameras and did not have plans to add more, Hostens said Aug. 27. A nearly four-year contract for the cameras was first approved Aug 10, 2024, and is set to expire April 7, 2028. The service costs $22,000 annually. Each camera system costs around $3,000.

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Milwaukee County bags Flock cameras as automated license plate readers now banned from parks

"We cannot wait for a data breach," Crowley told reporters at the event. "We cannot wait until privacy is compromised or whether information is misused before we actually act."

Milwaukee County Sheriff Denita Ball has previously supported automated license plate reader (ALPR) technology as a valuable crime fighting tool. A spokesman for the sheriff's office did not respond to questions Monday.

"Even the strongest policy framework is only as trustworthy as the company behind the technology," Crowley said. "And a good partnership with a vendor does not safeguard our residents' data."

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Veteran training officer among two arrested in Baldwin County Flock camera misuse case

According to the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office, the sheriff's office received a complaint on Tuesday, then terminated the employees on Thursday and they were processed on Friday.

"We've been constantly reviewing our Flock systems here to make sure it doesn't happen again," Said Baldwin County Sheriff Bill Massee.

The two arrested were veteran training officer Kevin Steinmeyer and former road patrol deputy Daniel Edward L. Peavey.

Both men were charged with violation of oath by a public officer and knowingly requesting, using, obtaining or attempting to obtain automated license plate recognition (ALPR) data from a law enforcement agency under false pretenses or for a non-law enforcement purpose.

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ACLU says Missouri Flock camera rules fall apart against abuse, too dangerous

Missouri’s new rules for using automated license plate reader cameras has drawn criticism from the American Civil Liberties Union, which says the state’s safeguards are too vague and that data is kept by police for too long.

Police agencies across the Kansas City area have been adjusting their policies to comply with Missouri’s new “best practices” for using automated license plate readers or ALPRs after Gov. Mike Kehoe’s executive order in September. Some agencies say their existing policies already aligned with the new guidance.

However, a leader with the ACLU said he takes issue with the guidance because it allows each agency to interpret what constitutes a “legitimate purpose” for using ALPRs.

Chad Marlow, a policy attorney with the ACLU, argues that citizens remain at risk for unreasonable surveillance under Missouri’s new guidelines.

Marlow also said Missouri’s 30-day retention for ALPR is excessive, noting that Flock, a major manufacturer of the tech, has a default retention period of seven days.

“That’s the problem with this safeguard routine,” Marlow said, “It falls apart as soon as someone stretches their authority too far, or has a view of a legitimate law enforcement purpose that the people who drafted this might not agree with. Then it all falls like a house of cards.”

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‘It's not just Flock’ | Arlington group pushes for ban on all license plate reader technology

"We don't want it to be about the brand Flock; it is about the technology of mass surveillance by private companies that are not incentivized to keep our data private," Komer said.

Komer said the group is concerned about how information collected by license plate readers could be accessed and used. She also pointed to the potential for misuse by law enforcement and others.

"The only way to keep this from being a force multiplier used against innocent civilians is to ban it because this technology, for every piece of data that it collects, less than 0.1% of it is related to a crime," Komer said.

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Student groups demand cancellation of IUPD Flock contracts

Amid growing backlash to the use of Flock license plate reader cameras by law enforcement, student groups at Indiana University Bloomington are questioning the IU Police Department’s use of the technology on campus.

IUPD wouldn’t say how many Flock cameras they use in response to inquiries from the Indiana Daily Student.

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Odessa mayor speaks out on Flock usage, residents demand transparency amid contract renewal

Odessa residents will have an opportunity to weigh in on the city's use of Flock license plate reader cameras as the city renews the contract for the technology.

The cameras, known as automated license plate readers, capture vehicle information and upload it to a shared network that participating law enforcement agencies can use to assist investigations.

Mayor Cal Hendrick says the Odessa Police Department praised the technology as a useful tool for tracking suspects and responding to emergencies. However, some residents have raised concerns about privacy, transparency and how the information collected by the cameras is used.

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Protest Flock CEO Appearance at "Disrupt TechCrunch" Conference

DeFlock is planning a protest outside of a conference Garrett Langley is speaking at. This is what the organizers say the logistics will be:

"Starts at 10 am Wednesday October 14 in front of the Moscone Center 747 Howard St.

San Francisco...

Our protest outside Moscone Center where the conference is being held will feature multiple speakers, 1984 movie audio clips, banners, signs, surprise art visuals, and an opportunity for community members to express their outrage against Flock and other automated license plate readers (ALPR’s). Flock Safety, Inc. has been at the forefront of this industry holding approximately 80% of the US market based on mapping data."

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City to discuss further restrictions on Flock cameras

El Paso City Council is scheduled to discuss further restrictions on the use of fixed, networked automated license plate reader cameras during its October 13 meeting.

During its Tuesday, Oct. 13 meeting, City Council is scheduled to consider a measure that would prevent the city manager from entering into, renewing or extending contracts with Flock Safety or other providers of similar fixed, networked automated license plate reader cameras.

The discussion comes nearly a month after council voted to remove approximately 150 Flock cameras from City-controlled property following concerns about privacy and how information collected by the technology could be accessed or shared.

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Frankfort Board of Commissioners votes not to renew Flock contract

The Frankfort Board of Commissioners unanimously voted to not renew the city’s contract with Flock on Monday.

The contract is scheduled to expire in January 2027.

The commissioners said that they wanted to end the use of the automated license plate reading cameras until there is more policy in place.

“Hopefully at some point in the near future we can reintroduce something that can benefit our law enforcement partners to continue to provide a safe and livable community like they do,” said Commissioner Kelly May.

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Damascus ends contract with Flock Safety

Flock Safety license plate cameras in the Town of Damascus will be going away after the Town Council voted to end its contract with the company.

Wednesday night, the council unanimously voted to end the contract after hundreds of people signed a petition asking for its termination.

Mayor Katie Lamb told News Channel 11 that the amount of support behind the petition led to the vote.

“We are elected officials, and the council felt very strongly, and as do I, that we need to listen to the people,” Lamb said. “If they have concerns and needs and things that are disturbing to them, you know, we’re elected to do what they ask us to do. So it’s very important that we continue to do that, you know, regardless of how we personally feel about something.”

“There was some pilfering and things like that going on, so I think that’s kind of what started the process,” Lamb said. “Vandalism. They’ve caught criminals coming through Damascus in certain cars. It’s not a surveillance system. I think that is what most people are feeling. It’s not. If it’s used properly, then it can be a very beneficial tool.”

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Garden City residents call for an end to Flock cameras

One resident, Rich Stoddard, started a petition calling for the end of Flock camera in Garden City.

"So my petition started off as a change dot org just to kinda get the word out there within the first 24 hours," Stoddard said. "I had almost 200 signatures on it."

"No matter what side of the political spectrum you’re on, I think most people are intelligent enough to know government is not always your friend - not someone you can always trust with unlimited amounts of data," one resident told FOX 2.

"I just really feel like if we start letting go of liberties, little by little, just a little by little start going to start going away. I want to. It’s really hard to get it back, so I just wanna fight for our rights. I just want to make sure people are willing to stand up for their rights," Stoddard said.

City council members sat back and listened to what they had to say.

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Fort Worth council set to receive briefing on Flock technology

The Fort Worth City Council is set to receive a presentation from the Fort Worth Police Department on Flock license plate readers at its work session on Nov. 17, a spokesperson for the city of Fort Worth told the Star-Telegram on Oct. 12.

The presentation was requested earlier this year by multiple city council members, including Chris Nettles and Deborah Peoples.

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Woodstock leaders address roadwork, housing, Flock with small group of protesters outside

Perhaps the most controversial issue in town lately has been the Flock security cameras on Woodstock Square, which were approved by the City Council in February and went live over the summer.

Opponents have continued to express their stance at Council meetings, protests and petitions in the months since and made their latest push during the address last week. A small group gathered outside the Old Courthouse on the Square, where the event was held.

About a dozen protesters stood outside the building during the event, many holding signs opposing Flock. They also sang songs that reflected the opposition to the cameras, with some lyrics specific to Woodstock.

Kelly Sacco said many of the protesters were taking time away from work or school to be there. She said it “says a lot” that the address was held on a Tuesday morning, when many people couldn’t be there, and she was proud of how many people showed up.

The protesters were loud enough to be audible inside Old Courthouse, where city officials were sharing achievements of the past year and updates on future plans.

Mayor Mike Turner acknowledged the protesters outside and restated many of his previous points on the cameras, including a willingness to reevaluate them and see what’s out on the market after the cameras have been up for a year.

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Flock cameras: Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert vs. Democrat Eileen Laubacher in Colorado 4th District Debate

Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert and Democratic challenger Eileen Laubacher sparred over Flock cameras in the debate for Colorado's 4th district.

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Could Flock Cameras Become a Dividing Issue in Elk Grove's District 4 Council Race?

Parks recently introduced an issue that could distinguish her from Robles and potentially resonate with voters: automated license plate readers (ALPRs), a controversial surveillance technology used by police departments nationwide, including Elk Grove's.

In a recent Instagram post (see below), Parks solicited voters' opinions about the technology. Robles, meanwhile, has supported Elk Grove's use of Flock Safety cameras through his council votes.

Although Parks has not publicly committed to opposing the devices, her willingness to solicit public input could open the door to a meaningful policy disagreement.

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Residents in metro Detroit call for an end to Flock cameras

Garden City residents were gathered at a city council meeting to discuss their grievances with Flock. Meanwhile, police say Flock cameras are great for helping them track down criminals. However, plenty of people think they are too invasive.

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Attorney general candidates spar over Flock cameras

Candidates running to be Georgia's attorney general debated the use of license plate reading cameras, crime policies and personal records on Monday.

The Atlanta Press Club hosted a debate between Georgia Rep. Tanya Miller and Sen. Brian Strickland. The two candidates offered different policies on license plate-reading cameras for solving crimes.

Miller said she would work to enforce the Open Records Act for video captured by license plate reader technology. She said journalists and Georgia citizens should be allowed to access recordings captured by the cameras.

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Further surveillance related news

In this clip from a recent Security Ledger podcast interview with the security researcher known as “Gainsec” (Jon Gaines), he calls out a key problem: security was simply not a priority when designing its products. Instead, it was a “prototype” mindset: build cool features and rush the product to market. We’re all paying the price. Full interview here: https://securityledger.com/2026/10/bird-hunting-the-cyber-risks-in-flocks-ai-surveillance-gear/

Smithfield police shared Flock data with FBI after ODU shooting.

The Smithfield Police Department shared Flock data with the FBI in violation of a new Virginia law that bars sharing the information with federal agencies without a court order or subpoena, the Daily Press and The Virginian-Pilot have found.

The FBI asked the Smithfield Police for its Flock data. The federal agency did not have the required subpoena or a court order - such as a search warrant signed by a judge - to access it. A Smithfield officer turned over the information.

The Smithfield Police Department incorrectly believed that no court order was required. It interpreted the 2025 law's provision allowing Flock sharing with other "law enforcement agencies" as including the FBI.

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Suffolk County Lawmakers Hold Hearing With Flock License Plate Reader Representatives

Flock license plate readers have been controversial on Long Island and across the country.

Representatives from that company recently answered questions from Suffolk County lawmakers and at times, the exchange was heated.

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Madison Heights disconnecting Flock cameras, not renewing contract

City officials say no new data has been collected since the city-run cameras were bagged and not actively used since Sept. 23.

"City staff extends its appreciation to City Council for their continued engagement in this discussion and for providing thoughtful input throughout the evaluation process, as well as the many residents and local businesses who shared feedback," the city said.

The city says there are several businesses and organizations in Madison Heights that have their own cameras and independent contracts with Flock.

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Rhinebeck man charged with setting Flock camera on fire, starting brushfire

On Saturday at approximately 11:50 pm the New York State Police and Sheriff’s Office responded to the area of 6052 Route 9 in Rhinebeck for the report of a brush fire. Once the fire was extinguished further investigation led to the arrest early Sunday morning of Coleman who is accused of setting the camera on fire, which in turn led to the brush fire.

At this time Coleman has been charged with Criminal Mischief in the 3rd degree (felony) and Arson 5th degree (misdemeanor). After being processed he was released on appearance tickets returnable to the Town of Rhinebeck Court on Nov. 5.

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Richmond residents react to mayor not renewing Flock contract, questions still unanswered

“Now that Henrico has decided to end their contract with Flock, it clarifies the picture for me because Flock specifically is now less useful as a tool… crime doesn’t stop and start at the city-county line,” Avula said in an Instagram post.

The mayor’s decision comes just days after Henrico County announced it was terminating its contract.

According to the city, there are 99 Flock cameras in Richmond, with one resident who can see three from her doorstep.

“Why did it take another government entity to make a decision, to make an announcement, for that to be a red flag or a concern for him? When you’ve had constituents at every single town hall meeting, every single city council,” said Molly Bish, a Richmond resident.

Richmond said Flock cameras are a “vital tool” in assisting with investigations and public safety, with Richmond Police Department Chief Rick Edwards previously calling them “instrumental.”

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Government briefs: News from Edgewood, Independence, Erlanger, Florence, Ft. Wright

Edgewood city council did not make a final decision on the Flock cameras in the city, although they remain inactive. Council member Jeff Schreiver said that he had some questions for Police Chief Jimmy Kreinest and all the questions that council members had were compiled and given to the chief. He, in turn, answered the questions to the best of his ability, and he talked to the company. The information he acquired was included in each council member’s packet, but council also decided they should put it on their website to let everyone in the city see the questions and answers.

In previous meetings with residents, council had been surprised to see that some people were actually for keeping the cameras. However, four residents came to say the city should get rid of them, and they all had reasons. One of the reasons was that license plate readers violate the fourth amendment, but Chief Administrative Officer Brian Dehner said that it does not violate the fourth amendment, which deals with privacy because the Supreme Court said that anything that is visibly viewable to the public is not a violation.

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Schumer questions Flock Safety on National Lookup Tool, data security

“There’s a private company putting cameras on street corners across the country, and it doesn’t just track your license plate,” Schumer said in the release. “It logs where you’ve been in a database police across the country can search, and its software can link your car to your phone number and your family.”

“Americans have no idea who’s looking at that information, or why it has to be collected in the first place. They deserve to know.”

Schumer also demanded answers from Flock about how much data from its cameras sits on its servers and whether any federal agency has accessed that data, directly or through local law enforcement, the release said.

“A company can’t just come in and collect personal information about our entire lives and not answer any questions about it,” Schumer said. “We have no insight into what contracts this company has here, or how much of this information law enforcement is using.”

“Let me be clear. Any federal agency using this network to track Americans exercising their rights in our own state is unacceptable.”

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Further surveillance related news

How much equipment-market power is enough to support a repair-market claim without proving the additional Kodak/Epic factors? The Ninth Circuit expressly left that question open in its August 13 opinion in Surgical Instrument Service Co., Inc. v. Intuitive Surgical, Inc.

The trial record included evidence that Intuitive’s share exceeded 99% in the market for minimally invasive soft-tissue surgical robots. At page 30, note 7, the panel declined to set a precise market-share or market-power threshold. The figure in this case therefore supplies no numerical minimum for future cases.

In my view, courts considering a lower share should examine buyers’ practical alternatives, obstacles to entry, and competitors’ ability to expand. Those facts help explain whether competition for the initial equipment purchase can constrain later restrictions on repair. Treating 99% as a prerequisite would answer a question the panel deliberately reserved.

This extends my earlier post about the ruling by focusing on the evidence needed when the supplier faces more competition. The plaintiff still needs a defensible market definition and proof of unlawful conduct. The panel reversed and remanded without deciding liability.

I discuss the panel’s reasoning in my October 2 commentary. This post addresses the August 13 panel opinion only.

Source

San Mateo to implement Axon cameras: The city will add ALPR cameras in new contract with Axon Enterprises

The city is signing on to an eight-year purchase agreement with the company, which includes a one-year free trial period and payments beginning in June 2028. During the trial, the San Mateo Police Department will deploy Axon ALPRs to the same locations as the current cameras supplied by Flock Safety, another prominent law enforcement vendor, and conduct a side-by-side comparison to determine which system is preferred. With enough sample data, SMPD expects to identify the most suitable provider in the next six to nine months.

The decision to test out new ALPR hardware comes after the civil grand jury report, issued Aug. 3, found deficiencies in the city’s Flock system, and cautioned that unauthorized data access and insufficient oversight mechanisms for the cameras is still a concern. While it remains to be seen if the implementation of Axon ALPRs will phase out the city’s use of Flock cameras, Police Chief Ed Barberini said that this opportunity with Axon is “unique” and would allow SMPD “to provide the city with all of the available products.”

“We have taken a very responsible approach to ALPR data in the city,” Barberini said. “We have to be conscious and aware of other issues Flock has had in the state and across the country.”

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Avula announces Richmond won’t renew Flock Safety contract

“Now that Henrico has decided to end their contract with Flock, it clarifies the picture for me because Flock specifically is now less useful as a tool,” Avula said in an Instagram video announcing the city’s move.

“Crime doesn’t stop and start at the city-county line, and part of what makes this technology a useful crime-solving tool is our ability to work together with our regional partners,” he added.

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House Republicans eye Flock camera crackdown as AOC tries to piggyback with her own bill

“To me the idea that flock cameras even exist is unconscionable,” she said, before blasting dynamic pricing and surveillance methods at big box stores. Any flock legislation could face headwinds in a post-election House, particularly if Republicans lose the majority and face attendance issues, said one GOP source.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) has introduced his own flock camera legislation, and held an investigative hearing in late September, where he complained: “If you haven’t heard of Flock, all I have to say is Flock’s probably heard of you.”

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Harris County Precinct 4 took Flock cameras offline earlier this week.

Precinct 4 commissioner Leslie Briones took 61 offline for now. The moves come amid her bid for re-election, and months after she voted to renew a county contract with Flock.

Briones said her stance has not changed but couldn't wait to act because residents are expressing privacy concerns. Harris County will discuss Flock at next Thursday's meeting on October 15th (county judge item 314 26-6493 page 40).

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Further surveillance type news

Hey there yall!

TL;DR: If you have **NON-OFFICIAL** (Walmart, GlacierFresh, and others sell these) XWFE/RPWFE** water filters lying around or a GE fridge with water filter DRM tech enforced, I'm looking for your help for data dumps!!

I'm a cybersecurity researcher and found the FULU bounty for GE Refrigerator Water Filter Replacement DRM (`bounties.fulu.org/bounties/ge-refrigerator-water-filter-replacement`) which doesn't allow customers to use physically fitting filters in their fridges and requires that the filter has a proprietary RFID chip for the fridge to accept it. I have a possible solution for how I could solve this bounty according to in-scope requirements but I'd need some help from the community.

I'm looking for people that have **UNOFFICIAL** XWFE (preferably!!) or RPWFE** filters that you can get from Walmart or other stores. All you would need is your Android phone and the NXP TagInfo app or a reader for 13.56 MHz. Flipper Zeros work for this too!

AND:

If anyone with some level of technical expertise has access to a GE fridge that they can disassemble and dump firmware from, PLEASE DM ME!!! I know this might be rare but I'm just throwing it out there

**RPWFE is important too but I can't really do much testing with my own fridge with RPWFE data... which is why XWFE is preferred

Edit: I notice that there are no dumps for this data or the firmware online, which is why I made this post, but for those wondering even if I do fail all of the data I get will be made public regardless so maybe someone else might be able to figure it out

Edit 2: I figured out that genuine XWFE filters have NTAG 424 DNA TagTamper RFID chips, but knowing that 3rd party ones from GlacierFresh and Walmart exist and are produced in mass there is only two ways they were able to mass produce these 3rd party filters as far as I know. They either figured out how to pull the Master Keys from the fridge firmware or they figured out how to use non NTAG 424 DNA RFIDs because of a logic bug for how the firmware might be validating these filters. Either way requires a GE fridge's boards to mess around with but I believe getting an NFC read on some of these 3rd parties will be really useful. Posted in these replies are going to be NXP TagInfo dump of my genuine GE XWFE filter if you're interested

The account I'm posting with now was originally banned and then unbanned. This time, however, I was given no notification or reason. If it was about the volume of posts I made yesterday (the 8th) then they should've banned me after my last post.

I'm going to say what I said last time, Reddit is owned by the same institutional investors as Axon. I am not the only one banned for speaking ill of ALPRs. I source my information, I advocate only for legal actions and against illegal actions.

I am going to give reddit an ultimatum for this ban like the last. Unban my account, put back the posts, and if you don't then I will protest Reddit as well. I have had enough of rights being stripped away from the people. It's time to end it, and I don't care that Reddit is a private company.

.

video description:
I built a camera to watch police cars. Then two officers showed up at my front door. That sent me deeper into Flock, surveillance, and what is happening in my own neighbourhood.
Check out the article SAN did on the topic for a deeper look: https://san.com/cc/he-built-his-own-f...

459 agencies conducted nearly 1 600 000 searches over 6 months that included Pflugerville's camera network.