Flock Safety License Plate Reader Data Shared Without Authorization With Federal Agents
Flock Safety, which operates license plate reader cameras in over 5,000 U.S. cities, reportedly failed to properly restrict access to license plate data, allowing out-of-state law enforcement and federal agents to access information in violation of state law. The company attributed some breaches to configuration errors and technical logging limitations. Multiple cities suspended or terminated Flock contracts following public scrutiny and news reports of the unauthorized data sharing.
What happened
Federal authorities and out-of-state law enforcement agencies repeatedly accessed license plate data from Flock Safety's network in violation of state law as part of nationwide deportation crackdowns, according to news reports cited by the Los Angeles Police Commission.
Flock Safety attributed some unauthorized data disclosures to a configuration error that allowed agencies outside Ventura County to access its data, and acknowledged that earlier limitations in technical logging made it impossible in some cases to determine the specific cause of data sharing.
Reported impact
The Los Angeles Police Commission opened an inquiry into how data captured by Flock are stored and shared, with Commissioner Jeff Skobin requesting a report on the LAPD's relationship with Flock and how the department could assure that federal authorities were not accessing its data for immigration enforcement.
Multiple cities including Boston, Flagstaff, and Santa Clara suspended or terminated their contracts with Flock Safety following public scrutiny and media reports of the unauthorized data access.
Index analysis
Flock Safety's license plate reader systems scans plates and logs time and location data, then feeds the information into searchable law-enforcement databases with automated alerts when vehicles match investigations or 'hot lists.'
The company operates in over 5,000 U.S. cities and was being deployed by police departments, businesses, and neighborhoods.
Governance controls
Flock took responsibility for the data disclosures in a blog post and stated it had adopted additional safeguards, including better tracking of sharing requests.
LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell ordered an internal audit to determine whether similar inadvertent data sharing had occurred within the Los Angeles Police Department.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.