LAPD ends contract with Flock Safety over privacy concerns

The Los Angeles Police Department is ending its contract with surveillance company Flock Safety, citing serious concerns over civil liberties and privacy. The department will not renew its three-year agreement with the company, which is set to expire on Saturday, as reported by TechCrunch.

The decision by the LAPD, one of Flock's largest government clients, follows similar moves by other major U.S. cities like Mountain View, California, and South Portland, Maine, which also cited privacy worries and potential misuse of data by federal agencies. Flock's network of at least 80,000 cameras across the U.S. scans license plates, enabling law enforcement to track vehicles. The company has faced significant backlash from communities concerned about surveillance and data security, with instances of cameras being dismantled and security lapses exposing data. Researchers have also documented an increase in motorists being detained due to errors from license plate readers, and journalists have reported being wrongly tracked.

Lawmakers have urged investigations into Flock for inadequate security measures, including the lack of multi-factor authentication for police logins, and reports indicate federal agencies have used police credentials to access the system for immigration surveillance. Flock stated the contract expiry was a surprise and expressed confidence in resolving misconceptions, though specific details were not provided.

Source: TechCrunch