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Flock mandates case numbers and automatic audits for license plate reader searches amid surveillance backlash
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Flock is changing officer access to its license plate reader network by requiring case numbers for searches, mandating automatic auditing, and recommending shorter data retention to address backlash over surveillance and abuse.
These changes alter how thousands of agencies interact with a nationwide location data pool, though the safeguards rely heavily on officer compliance and lack independent verification. The new rules represent an attempt to retain contracts amid public pressure, but circumvention remains possible since Flock will not verify the case numbers officers enter.
Written by elseif from the cluster below · every claim links back to a sourceThe three things worth knowing
Flock now requires officers to enter a criminal case number before searching the license plate reader network.
An automatic auditing system that flags suspicious searches to administrators is now mandatory instead of optional.
Flock recommends agencies retain data for seven days rather than thirty, but agencies can overrule this limit.
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