Flock Safety Faces Scrutiny Over AI Errors and Misuse
Flock Safety is facing contract cancellations and government scrutiny following reports of high AI error rates and police misuse of its license plate reader network.
The surveillance company Flock Safety, which controls 80 percent of the automated license plate reader market, is facing intense scrutiny over technological failures and data misuse. A Business Insider investigation reported a 71 percent error rate in the system's AI-generated data, leading to instances where armed officers confronted innocent drivers. These failures, combined with privacy concerns, have led 214 cities and counties to drop the service since 2021, including the Los Angeles Police Department.
Law enforcement misuse has further fueled the controversy. In Indianapolis, five police officers were criminally charged for using the network to track acquaintances and romantic partners. In response, Flock Safety announced new safeguards in August, reducing standard data retention from 30 days to seven and requiring case numbers for most searches. However, the American Civil Liberties Union argues these measures are insufficient, noting that security protocols are easily bypassed.
Political reactions remain divided. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis removed the cameras from state highways to prevent a surveillance state, and Senator Bernie Sanders has called for the technology to be stopped. Conversely, the Manhattan Institute defends the cameras as essential tools for crime prevention. The controversy reached the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary on September 23, though the company's CEO declined to testify at the hearing.
