Local governments from Florida to Washington state are moving to terminate agreements with Flock Security Systems, a company whose AI-driven license plate readers have drawn significant public criticism. The cancellations follow widespread protests against the surveillance technology, including recent demonstrations outside the G20 Innovation Ministerial in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
However, officials and privacy advocates note that ending a contract does not guarantee the immediate removal of hardware or the deletion of collected information. While jurisdictions are exercising their right to rein in surveillance capabilities, the legal reality of data handling remains ambiguous.
According to reports, many of the expiring contracts contain provisions that allow Flock to retain collected data for extended periods after the agreement ends. Because these terms vary by jurisdiction, there is currently no uniform standard for how long the information gathered by these cameras will remain in the company’s possession.
Privacy advocates warned about this. Contract law trumps public anger until we get new regulations.
I thought these cameras were supposed to reduce crime. Now they’re just gathering useless data?
Does canceling the contract actually delete the footage? Feels like a loophole for continued surveillance.
Just glad my city is finally listening. But data retention is scary—hope they wipe everything.