Flock -- a tech surveillance firm that makes AI-enabled cameras that scans and collects license plate information -- announced new guardrails Thursday after multiple reports of abuse of the technology by law enforcement and amid growing public backlash about surveillance technology.
The new safeguards include requiring law enforcement to label every search with a with a criminal case number, and instituting an automatic review for abnormal search activities, which will trigger proactive lockouts for those users.
The company also said it will introduce a seven-day data retention default instead of the past default of 30 days.
"These changes reflect years of work and deliberation. They are not the end of that work, but simply the continuation of our commitment to both safety and privacy," Flock CEO Garrett Langley, wrote in a blog post announcing the new safety controls on the company’s website. "We are not perfect, so we will keep listening, improving, and building a better standard for public safety technology together."
Still, some civil rights advocates say these safeguards still fall short.
"While this measure contains some meaningful improvements, such as the shortened retention policy, ultimately it is the same 'Just Trust Us' policy with a fresh coat of paint," Tom Bowman, policy counsel for the Center for Democracy & Technology, said in a statement to ABC News Thursday. "Flock is still asking thousands of police departments to police themselves, despite evidence from across the U.S. that this lack of guardrails is unsafe."
He continued, "The changes do not ward off the demonstrated dangers of ALPRS, which include pervasive tracking, vehicle stops based on flawed AI flags of 'irregular' driving patterns, and abuse such as stalking. The fix that will actually stop the threats Flock and other ALPRs pose is the same one American privacy law has always relied on: make the government get a warrant."
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
