Flock Credibility Lost as It Repeatedly Lies to City Councils, Police, & Public
Points and comments are a snapshot, not live.
The ACLU documents Flock Safety repeatedly lying to city councils, police, and the public about its ALPR system capabilities.
The ACLU reports that Flock Safety lied to the Oshkosh, Wisconsin city council about whether its ALPR system creates heat maps of vehicle movements; the contract was approved and revoked the next day. The article details a pattern of deception: Flock initially denied federal agencies had access to data, then admitted contracts with CBP and DHS; it claimed its search tool blocked abortion-related searches, but police easily circumvented it by entering vague terms like 'investigation' or 'hehehe.' Flock also falsely claimed to have partnered with the ACLU to design its system.
The ACLU recommends governments avoid working with Flock and adopt strong ALPR guardrails if they insist on using such systems.
What commenters are saying
Commenters are broadly skeptical of Flock's credibility, with one noting the company's lying about working with the ACLU was a particularly poor choice. Several highlight the ease of circumventing Flock's security features. A commenter recounts personal success in passing a state ALPR law, pushing back against the idea that citizens are powerless. Others raise concerns about Flock poles not meeting highway safety standards, citing engineering specifications for wind loading and vehicle impact resistance. One commenter reports a pole installed on their street vanishing after they took a photo.