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News
Every item below is reviewed against its original source before publication. Newest first.
SFPD cuts off two regional intelligence centers after audit finds ~300 outside searches
An audit found NCRIC and WSIN analysts had queried San Francisco's Flock network on behalf of out-of-state and federal agencies, bypassing California's state law restrictions on data sharing.
CBS News / KTVU ↗
South Portland, Maine moves to remove Flock cameras amid privacy concerns
Civil liberties concerns over out-of-state data sharing and federal immigration enforcement access drove the city's decision, alongside a broader Republican-led push for a statewide ban.
The Maine Wire ↗
Connecticut signs Public Act 26-14, one of the strictest state ALPR laws yet
The law limits retention to 21 days, bans use for immigration or reproductive healthcare investigations, and creates a private right of action letting citizens sue officers who violate it.
CT Senate Democrats ↗
Emory University Senate demands campus police withhold ALPR data from ICE
Disclosures showed Emory's police department had been querying the national Flock network since 2023, including during a 2023 'Stop Cop City' campus demonstration.
The Emory Wheel ↗
Washington's Driver Privacy Act (SB 6002) takes effect
One of the strictest state frameworks in the country: 21-day retention cap, bans on collection near clinics and places of worship, and a ban on ALPR use for immigration or reproductive healthcare enforcement.
Flock Safety / Cascadia Daily News ↗
Mountain View, CA suspends its entire Flock system
An internal audit revealed over 250 federal agencies had accessed a single intersection camera between August and November 2024, via a 'national lookup' setting enabled without the department's consent.
Local News Matters ↗
Santa Cruz, CA leaders vote to terminate Flock contract
Cited system vulnerabilities that allowed out-of-state and federal agencies, including ICE, to access local camera data in violation of state law.
Santa Cruz Local ↗
EFF analysis of 12M search logs finds 50+ agencies tracking protesters
Audit logs showed agencies nationwide using one-word justifications like 'protest' to search the network during 'No Kings,' '50501,' and other demonstrations.
Electronic Frontier Foundation ↗
UW Center for Human Rights: 'Leaving the Door Wide Open' exposes WA back-door ICE access
Analysis of records from 31 Washington agencies found at least 8 had configured direct data sharing with Border Patrol, and at least 10 more were accessed without ever authorizing it.
UW Center for Human Rights ↗
Flock admits undisclosed CBP pilot program, pauses all federal pilots
Days after CEO Garrett Langley denied active federal contracts, 9NEWS and 404 Media revealed Flock had given Customs and Border Protection direct database accounts. The company called its own communication 'poor.'
9NEWS / 404 Media ↗
Texas deputy's nationwide search reached camera networks in 3 other states
A Johnson County, TX sheriff's deputy searched 83,000+ cameras nationwide for a woman who had self-managed an abortion. Flock and the sheriff initially called it a missing-persons welfare check.
404 Media / EFF ↗