Business · Ars Technica
Flock “can’t tech its way out” of the stalker cop problem, experts say
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On Thursday, Flock announced plans to require all agencies with access to license plate reader data to use a safety tool that automatically detects abnormal activity and locks out cops who abuse their access to stalk people they know in their personal lives.
Key facts
- Unless we know the number of officers misusing the system, we cannot conclude if Flock and its auditing tools are catching 95 percent of violators or 5 percent,” the ACLU said in a post analyzing
- Currently, Flock cameras are posted in every state but Alaska, leveraged by 7,000 law enforcement agencies, the New York Times reported
- The ACLU agreed, noting that the case number requirement was a previously optional feature that rolled out in July 2025 and seemed to do little to prevent police abuse when cops can manipulate
- Former San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin told SFGate that Flock’s changes “may not be enough
Summary
Flock’s audit assistance tool suspends access when user activity “meets defined criteria for abnormal behavior,” Flock said. The tech has been available as an optional free feature since April, but only a third of agencies had opted in, Flock said. “This is such an obvious way to curb abuse,” Langley said, while admitting that “we got this one wrong. According to Flock, the Georgia case is not unique, and “identification of abuse predictably went up” for agencies that chose to activate the tool.