面对日益增长的隐私担忧和执法部门的滥用指控，车牌识别技术公司Flock Safety宣布推出一系列系统改革措施。[3] Flock首席执行官Garrett Langley承认公司对执法人员对其工具的滥用负有责任。[1]
根据多家媒体报道，Flock旗下拥有120,000台摄像头组成的全国网络供警察部门使用。[2] 《华盛顿邮报》的调查发现46起警察被控未经授权使用Flock摄像头追踪前任伴侣的案件。[2] 同时，过去一年内至少有30个城市取消了与Flock的合同。[2]
为应对这些问题，Flock将推出更新，包括强制启用审计辅助功能（Audit Assistance），该功能将标记异常搜索行为并立即锁定可疑用户待管理员审核。[1][3] 公司还要求所有执法人员进行搜索时必须输入案件编号。[2][3] 数据默认保留期将从30天缩短至7天。[3][4] 此外，Flock推出Offense filtering功能，允许城市选择其他机构可访问的犯罪类型。[4] 多因素认证（MFA）也将被强制启用。[4] 这些强制性措施将在1月1日前对所有用户生效。[3]
然而，民权倡导者对这些改革的有效性持保留态度。美国公民自由联盟认为这些变化是"朝正确方向迈出的一步"，但将其他改变描述为"不充分安全措施的翻新"。[3] 司法研究所高级律师Robert Frommer称这些改变是"应急模式"下的"表面文章"。[3] 早期的案件编号要求也遭到了执法人员的规避，美国公民自由联盟发现一些警察使用"investigation"等通用术语，一个俄勒冈州部门的警察甚至输入了"hehehe"。[2]
Flock Safety, which operates a nationwide network of 120,000 license plate recognition cameras used by police departments, has announced significant platform changes to address mounting privacy concerns and documented instances of law enforcement misuse [2]. CEO Garrett Langley acknowledged the company's responsibility in the matter, stating the company "got this one wrong" regarding how officers have abused the system to track ex-partners and engage in harassment [1].
The surveillance technology company will implement multiple mandatory safeguards by January 1st [3]. These include requiring police to enter case numbers for all searches, reducing the default data retention window from 30 days to 7 days [3][4], and forcing activation of an audit assistance feature that automatically flags suspicious search behavior and locks accounts pending administrator review [1][4]. Additionally, Flock is introducing an Offense Filtering tool that allows cities to control which other agencies can access data based on crime type [4], and implementing mandatory multi-factor authentication [4].
The policy shifts come after sustained public backlash. The Washington Post documented approximately 46 cases where police were accused or charged with unauthorized use of Flock cameras [2][3], while the ACLU found that when officers were prompted to justify searches, some entered generic terms like "investigation" or mocked the requirement—including one Oregon officer who typed "hehehe" 20 times [2]. According to NPR, at least 30 cities have canceled Flock contracts in the past year; activist group DeFlock claims the number is higher [2]. Flock reports that over 50 agencies have canceled, suspended, or refused contracts since the beginning of the year [3].
Langley attributed some customer losses to "misinformation" [2], while civil liberties advocates remain divided on the adequacy of these changes [3]. The American Civil Liberties Union called the modifications "a step in the right direction" but characterized other measures as "repackaged inadequate safeguards" [3]. Robert Frommer, a senior attorney at the Justice Collaborative, dismissed the changes as "window dressing" in "crisis mode" [3].
