Automated license plate readers (ALPRs) are cameras that photograph passing vehicles, read their number plates, and typically log the time, location, and vehicle details. On their own, the images might be used to find a stolen car or locate a suspect. But lately there have been a lot of concerns raised about the way they are used. The main worry is caused by what happens when many cameras feed data into a shared, searchable network: it can create a detailed record of where ordinary people…
Flock Safety’s cameras are automated license plate readers (ALPRs) designed to help police find stolen cars or wanted suspects. A joint investigation by 404 Media and WIRED, based on data recovered from a physically removed Flock camera, found that its on-device software explicitly detects people as well as vehicles, bicycles, and license plates. Separately, Washington DC’s police union says the Metropolitan Police Department used Flock data to track officers under Internal Affairs…
Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley says the United States needs a “compromise” between privacy and public safety. It’s a neat phrase, except I don’t like to see “compromise” and “privacy” that close together. “When people talk about just one of these, privacy or safety, they’re prioritizing the wrong thing, and what we have to prioritize as a country is compromise.” Langley call for compromise comes as the company faces intensifying resistance to its automated license plate reader (ALPR) network.…