Flock wanted to put license plate cameras on 350,000 Uber and Lyft dashcams

Flock, a company renowned for its AI-powered license plate readers that have sparked debate over surveillance and privacy concerns, has reportedly been considering a shift towards more mobile applications for its technology. According to public records, Flock explored the possibility of equipping 350,000 vehicles operated by Uber, Lyft, and other delivery companies in Georgia with its automatic license plate readers.

This plan, detailed in a presentation obtained by 404 Media, could have significantly bolstered the surveillance capabilities of Flock's already contentious AI-powered cameras.

These Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPRs), produced by companies like Flock and Axon, are designed to capture and store license plate data in a searchable cloud database. Law enforcement agencies across the US have utilized these cameras, currently operational in around 6,000 communities, to monitor the movements of vehicles connected to serious crimes.

However, the widespread deployment of these cameras has also fueled a backlash, with many communities, including Los Angeles, opting to deactivate them due to issues such as misread license plates and instances where police officers abused the technology to stalk individuals.

The proposed partnership between Flock and dashcam provider Nexar, as detailed in the recently exposed document, would have leveraged the millions of dashcams installed in Uber and Lyft rideshare vehicles in Georgia, as well as cameras from local businesses and homeowners associations. While the collaboration ultimately did not materialize, it would have enabled Flock to monitor the movements of every vehicle passing through areas equipped with cameras. The extent to which drivers would have been informed about this surveillance remains uncertain.

The use of mobile camera networks is not unprecedented. Last year, Waymo, a robotaxi company, confirmed that it complies with police requests for footage from its 360-degree cameras, provided that the requests are thoroughly vetted. Additionally, Axon and Motorola offer ALPRs specifically designed for installation on moving vehicles.

The Flock-Nexar presentation, originally obtained through a public records request by 404 Media's Jason Hunyar, a Georgia-based blogger, also revealed that Flock had previously erased purportedly immutable usage records after an officer noticed a girl's gymnastics room and sold the data collected by its cameras.

Hunar's investigation also uncovered plans by Flock to install its cameras on robot dogs, which could transmit data back to their manufacturer in Hangzhou via pre-installed backdoors. This revelation comes amid a backdrop of concerns over major Flock investors' ties to companies capable of intercepting and altering surveillance footage.