Home / Technology / License Plate Scans Exposed: New Tool Reveals Searches
License Plate Scans Exposed: New Tool Reveals Searches
17 Aug
Summary
- A new tool lets drivers check if their license plates were searched.
- The tool accesses over 241 million public Flock Safety camera logs.
- Flock Safety reduced data retention from 30 to seven days.
A newly launched tool, "Have I Been Flocked?", allows individuals to discover if their license plate has been searched within Flock Safety's national surveillance camera network. The website aggregates audit logs from over 241 million publicly obtained searches, indicating when a plate was manually queried and the provided justification. This comes as automated license plate reader (ALPR) technology faces increasing public concern regarding data usage by law enforcement.
Flock Safety recently announced significant privacy and accountability updates. These include reducing the default data retention period from 30 days to seven days, with an "Evidence Mode" for active investigations. Furthermore, law enforcement agencies must now use an Audit Assistance tool, and officers are required to enter case codes for searches. Agencies can also restrict data sharing for specific case types, such as immigration-related matters.
Drivers concerned about their data can use "Have I Been Flocked?" for insights into ALPR system usage. The recent policy shifts by Flock Safety highlight the ongoing societal debate surrounding privacy, accountability, and surveillance technology. These changes aim to increase transparency and oversight for the over 120,000 cameras in Flock's network.
