Surveillance & Biometrics · Automated license plate readers (ALPR) / public-safety cameras · Regulatory action + Private litigation
Flock Safety
Headline
Flock's cameras record the license plates of every passing driver for police, HOA and other customers.
Not independently verified. Verification status: Unverified - heuristic first draft. Publish state: draft unverified.
Flock's cameras record the license plates of every passing driver for police, HOA and other customers. People who are photographed have no contract with Flock and, under its own privacy policy, cannot make data requests about their plates. The core 2025-26 controversy is federal access. Reports show immigration and border agencies searched local Flock networks, sometimes without local officials knowing. Illinois's Secretary of State reportedly found Flock unlawfully shared data with CBP, and a growing list of cities and counties have cancelled or limited their contracts.
- Severity
- Evidence tierUnassigned
- Claims confirmed
- Last verified2026-10-16
Primary source. www.kqed.org/news/12074467/santa-clara-county-leaders-cut-out-flock-safety-in-new-surveillance-policy — Unverified - heuristic first draft.
Terms
Arbitration
N/A. Drivers photographed have no contract with Flock. Customer terms not reviewed.
Data sharing
Privacy policy (last updated Aug 1, 2025): 'Customer Data is owned by the Customer and only shared as directed by the Customer'. Default retention is 30 days. The policy says Flock 'cannot verify the identity of individuals whose effects (i.e., license plates) appear in the Footage and are unable to process data subject requests related to such images.' It also says Flock may use under 1% of captured images for ML training, and for site and service users it 'may share Personal Information with third-party advertisers for targeted advertising purposes.' The national/federal sharing reported above happened through customer-enabled sharing settings.
Fees and billing
N/A. Sold to government, HOA and business customers; no consumer billing.
Contacts
Privacy contact. privacy@flocksafety.com; +1 (866) 901-1781
Legal notice. Wikipedia lists 3284 Northside Parkway NW, Atlanta, GA; no mailing address in the privacy policy. Registered agent not verified this pass.
Mailing address. Not recorded.
Evidence
No claims have been itemized for this row yet.
Sources
| Source | Claim | Tier | Status | Quote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| news · 2026-03-04 www.wskg.org/regional-news/2026-03-04/ithaca-common-council-votes-to-end-contract-with-flock-safety | whole row | Unassigned | confirmed | “critics point to documented instances where data was accessed by outside agencies without explicit local authorization” Quote basis: not recorded. |
| news · 2026-02-25 www.kqed.org/news/12074467/santa-clara-county-leaders-cut-out-flock-safety-in-new-surveillance-policy | whole row | Unassigned | confirmed | “Each Flock customer fully owns and controls 100% of its data.” Quote basis: not recorded. |
| encyclopedia (lead only) · 2026-10-16 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flock_Safety | whole row | Unassigned | confirmed | “In 2025, it was reported that Flock data had been queried for use in immigration enforcement” Quote basis: not recorded. |
| company policy · 2025-08-01 www.flocksafety.com/legal/privacy-policy | whole row | Unassigned | confirmed | “Customer Data is owned by the Customer and only shared as directed by the Customer.” Quote basis: not recorded. |
Source vault
Link status: Candidate - not yet fetched
| Document | Last fetch | |
|---|---|---|
| Privacy policy https://www.flocksafety.com/legal/privacy-policy | Not fetched yet | NOT CONFIRMED |
| Terms of service No URL recorded | Not fetched yet | NOT CONFIRMED |
| Website https://www.flocksafety.com | Not fetched yet | — |
| Primary source https://www.kqed.org/news/12074467/santa-clara-county-leaders-cut-out-flock-safety-in-new-surveillance-policy Verification: Unverified - heuristic first draft | Not fetched yet | — |
Enforcement
No enforcement actions are linked to this row.
State statute
No comprehensive state privacy statute on file for GA