Flock Safety Eyes Mobile Surveillance with Ride-Share Cams

Flock Safety, a company primarily known for its pole-mounted automated license plate readers (ALPRs), reportedly considered a significant expansion strategy involving dash cams installed in Uber and Lyft vehicles. An internal presentation, obtained through a public records request, detailed a potential partnership with dash cam maker Nexar.

This proposed deal would have leveraged hundreds of thousands of Nexar dash cams, expanding Flock's surveillance capabilities by capturing license plate data from surrounding traffic. The documents suggest a lack of clarity on whether drivers would be informed about their dash cams feeding into a surveillance network. This initiative represents a shift from fixed surveillance poles to potentially unmapped, mobile sensors.

Flock's existing network of ALPRs, launched in 2017 to combat neighborhood crime, has evolved into a nationwide system raising privacy concerns. Law enforcement misuse of the network for personal reasons has led to disciplinary actions against officers. Public opposition has grown, with initiatives to map camera locations and physical dismantling of hardware.

Should public pushback against static cameras continue, Flock may increasingly pursue mobile surveillance strategies like the one detailed in the Nexar presentation. This approach could allow the company to expand its reach while making its hardware less susceptible to public interference and detection.