Flock Safety halts federal data sharing over license plate reader privacy violations
Flock Safety paused pilot programs with U.S. Department of Homeland Security agencies after Illinois found that Customs and Border Protection accessed state license plate data in possible violation of a 2023 state law restricting such sharing for immigration-related investigations. The company's CEO acknowledged unclear parameters and inadequate permission controls.
What happened
Flock Safety, which operates automated license plate reading cameras in more than 4,000 U.S. communities, paused pilot programs with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations after concerns emerged about data access.
An Illinois audit found that Customs and Border Protection had accessed license plate data from Illinois in possible violation of a 2023 state law that bars sharing such data with agencies investigating out-of-state abortions or undocumented immigrants. CEO Garrett Langley acknowledged that the company had communicated poorly and failed to create distinct permissions and protocols to ensure local compliance with state law for federal users.
Reported impact
Two months prior, Mount Prospect Police in the Chicago suburb had shared license plate data with a Texas sheriff seeking information about a woman who had undergone a self-administered abortion, raising concerns about unintended use of the system for purposes the company had not anticipated.
Index analysis
The license plate data itself is owned and controlled by local agencies in jurisdictions where cameras operate, not by Flock Safety, but the company provides the system through which federal inquiries are made.
Governance controls
Langley stated the company had initiated the pilot programs to combat human trafficking and fentanyl distribution but that parameters were unclear and the company was unaware of what search criteria the federal agencies actually employed.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
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