Flock Camera Backlash

Flock cameras have been in the news lately, and not always in a good light. These cameras, developed by the Flock Safety company, are automated license plate readers and are used by about 7,000 law enforcement agencies across the country. I first noticed them locally at the entrances to Sun City about three years ago, and now there are about 60 in the Georgetown area. Local police have credited the technology with helping locate a suspect in a homicide case. However, privacy advocates claim this is an egregious example of Big Brother-like surveillance, particularly because of the massive database that Flock maintains for supporting law enforcement requests. Some vigilantes are going so far as to vandalize the cameras by cutting them down or destroying the lenses. I will not condone destruction of property, public or private, but it’s clear that this style of surveillance is a step too far for some people. To that end, a website is now available to see if your car has been queried by any agency in the country: haveibeenflocked.com. (This is a play on the popular haveibeenpwned.com site that reveals leaked passwords.) Because of redactions and incomplete databases, a negative result does not mean your car hasn’t been search for, but a positive result does. Regardless of where you stand on the issue, having knowledge of what tools are being used by those who protect us is important.