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Although the AI-powered mass surveillance which Flock offers can be useful, it comes with some significant legal and ethical problems. The [[Fourth Amendment|Fourth Amendment to the US Constitution]] provides strong protections against "unreasonable searches and seizures," without a legal warrant, which clearly defines who is being subjected to a search, what place will be searched, and the duration of the search. It also needs to be signed by a judge. Based on legal precedent, tracking the movements of a person over time, is a form of a search, which therefore requires a specific and limited search warrant.<ref>https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/585/16-402/</ref><ref>https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/565/400/</ref>
Although the AI-powered mass surveillance which Flock offers can be useful, it comes with some significant legal and ethical problems. The [[Fourth Amendment|Fourth Amendment to the US Constitution]] provides strong protections against "unreasonable searches and seizures," without a legal warrant, which clearly defines who is being subjected to a search, what place will be searched, and the duration of the search. It also needs to be signed by a judge. Based on legal precedent, tracking the movements of a person over time, is a form of a search, which therefore requires a specific and limited search warrant.<ref>https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/585/16-402/</ref><ref>https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/565/400/</ref>
Unfortunately, these systems are also prone to abuse. There have been many cases of those with access to Flock's tracing data, using it to stalk former romantic partners,<ref>https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/may/02/flock-police-surveillance-tech-birds-iran-press-freedom</ref> and others.<ref>https://ij.org/police-have-reportedly-used-license-plate-readers-to-stalk-romantic-interests-at-least-14-times-in-recent-years/</ref><ref>https://lookout.co/georgia-police-chief-arrested-for-using-flock-cameras-for-stalking-and-harassment-searched-capitola-data-earlier-this-year/story</ref><ref>https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/police-ai-surveillance-stalking</ref>
Unfortunately, these systems are also prone to abuse. There have been many cases of those with access to Flock's tracing data, using it to stalk former romantic partners,<ref>https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/may/02/flock-police-surveillance-tech-birds-iran-press-freedom</ref>, groups of children,<ref>https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/flock-safety-employees-watched-kids-151737512.html</ref> and others.<ref>https://ij.org/police-have-reportedly-used-license-plate-readers-to-stalk-romantic-interests-at-least-14-times-in-recent-years/</ref><ref>https://lookout.co/georgia-police-chief-arrested-for-using-flock-cameras-for-stalking-and-harassment-searched-capitola-data-earlier-this-year/story</ref><ref>https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/police-ai-surveillance-stalking</ref>
One defense of Flock's usage, is that each customer can purportedly only access the data their own leased Flock equipment collects. However, each customer has the option to share their data with other customers, which quickly spreads the access to each customer's data, across the country. As of 2026, we also now have federal agencies such as the FBI, attempting to access nationwide tracing data from Flock and/or competitors.<ref>https://govtribe.com/file/government-file/attachment-1-lpr-idiq-statement-of-work-dot-pdf</ref><ref>https://san.com/cc/ice-illegally-gains-informal-access-to-nationwide-license-plate-camera-network/</ref>
One defense of Flock's usage, is that each customer can purportedly only access the data their own leased Flock equipment collects. However, each customer has the option to share their data with other customers, which quickly spreads the access to each customer's data, across the country. As of 2026, we also now have federal agencies such as the FBI, attempting to access nationwide tracing data from Flock and/or competitors.<ref>https://govtribe.com/file/government-file/attachment-1-lpr-idiq-statement-of-work-dot-pdf</ref><ref>https://san.com/cc/ice-illegally-gains-informal-access-to-nationwide-license-plate-camera-network/</ref>
==Tracking?==
==Tracking?==
Flock's PR statements and marketing materials state that their systems "do not track" people. When considering a single ALPR, that is essentially true. It only identifies each person, and records the exact time, place and direction they were seen. However, Flock's network of surveillance devices are deployed in such a way that they are repeatedly doing this, potentially more than once per minute. This enables Flock's AI to track each person's moment over time, using essentially pins on a map. As soon as a person stops moving, Flock knows that person has stopped within the current surveillance perimeter. If their cameras are deployed in enough places, they can go beyond that, recording exactly where each person is, who they are talking with, and so forth. This is inconstant with their public statements, and the materials they provide to their customers to calm concerned citizens. However, Flock's internal training materials have been found to clearly acknowledge that they are, indeed, tracking people.<ref>https://www.kswo.com/2026/06/15/flock-says-its-cameras-dont-track-people-its-own-training-videos-say-otherwise/</ref><ref>https://www.cleveland19.com/2026/06/15/flock-says-its-cameras-dont-track-people-its-own-training-videos-say-otherwise/</ref><ref>https://www.investigatetv.com/video/2026/06/15/flock-says-its-cameras-dont-track-people-its-training-videos-say-otherwise/</ref>
Flock's PR statements and marketing materials state that their systems "do not track" people. When considering a single ALPR, that is essentially true. It only identifies each person, and records the exact time, place and direction they were seen. However, Flock's network of surveillance devices are deployed in such a way that they are repeatedly doing this, potentially more than once per minute. This enables Flock's AI to track each person's moment over time, using essentially pins on a map. As soon as a person stops moving, Flock knows that person has stopped within the current surveillance perimeter. If their cameras are deployed in enough places, they can go beyond that, recording exactly where each person is, who they are talking with, and so forth. This is inconstant with their public statements, and the materials they provide to their customers to calm concerned citizens. However, Flock's internal training materials have been found to clearly acknowledge that they are, indeed, tracking people.<ref>https://www.kswo.com/2026/06/15/flock-says-its-cameras-dont-track-people-its-own-training-videos-say-otherwise/</ref><ref>https://www.cleveland19.com/2026/06/15/flock-says-its-cameras-dont-track-people-its-own-training-videos-say-otherwise/</ref><ref>https://www.investigatetv.com/video/2026/06/15/flock-says-its-cameras-dont-track-people-its-training-videos-say-otherwise/</ref>
==History==
Flock Safety was founded in 2017, by three Georgia Tech graduates. Garrett Langley (B.S. Electrical Engineering 2009), Paige Todd (B.S. Management 2007), and Matt Feury (B.S. Computer Science 2011) joined together as co-founders to establish the company. A wave of car break-ins in Langley’s new neighborhood was what initially prompted him create the new company. Existing ALPR systems were expensive, and he believed he could make such a system more affordable. "We cold-called 20 neighborhoods, and two bought on the spot. They transferred money to Garrett’s personal bank account." They quickly proceeded to assemble the promised system. "We built a very early version of the product, which was really just an Android phone in a waterproof box,” Paige said. However, the system did not remain that rudimentary for long. It quickly evolved, as more companies and HOAs signed up. A great deal of funding was also progressively secured from additional police departments, since their new company was offered a mass surveillance capability which those departments could not legally run themselves.<ref>https://www.scheller.gatech.edu/news/2025/entrepreneurs-of-scheller-paige-todd.html</ref>
==References==
==References==