Should We Beware of Other License Plate Surveillance Companies Besides Flock?
NPR reports: Police officers in cities across the U.S. are quick to extol the virtues of real-time crime centers as a game changer that helps them find missing children, monitor large events from the skies and scope out dangerous scenes before putting an officer in harm's way. Hundreds of police departments have one of these central hubs, which have existed for years. But many are now being…
Police departments nationwide are increasingly relying on real-time crime centers, which incorporate various surveillance technologies to monitor and potentially prevent crime. These centers, powered by AI software like Fusus from Axon, allow command centers to view an entire city from one location. Flock cameras, automated license plate readers, have come under scrutiny due to potential privacy abuses. However, privacy experts warn that they are just one aspect of the broader issue of police surveillance.
Andrew Guthrie Ferguson, a law professor at George Washington University, expressed puzzlement at the focus on Flock cameras alone. He noted that real-time crime centers encompass a range of technologies, including video analytics, drones, and even data from private business surveillance systems. Fusus, which was acquired by Axon in 2024, pulls in data from various sources, such as police body cameras, dashcams, and 911 dispatch systems.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has expressed concerns about the potential privacy and civil liberties implications of these surveillance systems. They emphasized that simply switching to a different ALPR provider, like Motorola, does not necessarily address the underlying issues. Both Flock and Motorola offer nationwide data-sharing systems that collect information from law enforcement agencies and, in Motorola's case, also commercial entities.
Motorola's Digital Recognition Network, for example, collects data from law enforcement cameras and sells it for commercial purposes. This raises questions about the potential for mass surveillance and the need for strong privacy protections. Experts recommend implementing strict data retention limits and enforcing them through legislation rather than contractual agreements with vendors.
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