Fast Facts

• Over 50 U.S. law enforcement agencies searched Flock Safety’s camera data for protest-related activity between December and October 2025.
• Searches targeted protests like “No Kings,” “50501,” and “Hands Off!” - some focused on specific activist groups.
• Flock Safety, a leading automated license plate reader (ALPR) provider, faces scrutiny for enabling tracking of protesters, immigrants, and others.
• Recent reports link ALPR misuse to stalking and controversial police investigations.
• Flock Safety has lost several police department clients as criticism mounts.

Watching the Watchers: The Rise of Automated Surveillance

Imagine a city where every passing car leaves a digital breadcrumb, quietly swept up by cameras perched on streetlights and patrol cars. These are automated license plate readers (ALPRs) - tools that promise to help police solve crimes but are increasingly being used to monitor the movements of everyday citizens. New research from the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has pulled back the curtain on just how easily these systems can be repurposed for mass surveillance of civil society.

EFF’s ten-month analysis of Flock Safety’s vast camera network reveals that more than fifty federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies ran hundreds of protest-related searches. These weren’t just broad sweeps: in several cases, police focused on specific activist groups, tracking cars present at demonstrations such as the “No Kings” protests and other anti-Trump rallies.

From Crime-Fighting to Civil Rights Concerns

ALPRs were originally sold as crime-fighting tools - catching stolen cars or locating suspects. But, like a net cast too wide, the technology is now ensnaring people engaged in constitutionally protected activities. The EFF’s findings, first reported by 404 Media, echo a growing chorus of concerns: as the line between public safety and mass surveillance blurs, so too does the boundary between law enforcement and civil liberties.

Flock Safety, once a darling of police departments for its easy-to-deploy, cloud-connected cameras, is now losing customers. Recent scandals - ranging from police tracking undocumented immigrants and a woman who had an abortion, to the arrest of a Georgia police chief for allegedly stalking citizens using ALPR data - have fueled public backlash. While it’s unclear if all incidents involved Flock’s systems, the company’s technology has become synonymous with the broader debate over surveillance overreach.

The Market and the Moment

Flock Safety’s story is part of a larger trend: the rapid adoption of surveillance tools outpacing regulation and oversight. The market for ALPRs is booming, with vendors pitching their wares to cash-strapped police departments and neighborhood associations alike. Yet, as these digital sentinels multiply, so too do the risks of misuse, mission creep, and the chilling effect on free speech and assembly.

With each new revelation, calls for transparency, strict access controls, and independent oversight grow louder. The question is no longer whether the technology works, but whether it should be used to watch those who dare to speak out.

WIKICROOK

• Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR): An Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) is a camera system that scans and records vehicle license plates, capturing time and location data automatically.
• Surveillance Technology: Surveillance technology includes tools and software used to monitor people’s digital or physical activities, often by governments or law enforcement.
• Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF): The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is a nonprofit that protects digital civil liberties, privacy, and free expression in the online world.
• Mission Creep: Mission creep is when a technology or program gradually expands beyond its original purpose, often raising privacy or civil liberties concerns.
• Civil Liberties: Civil liberties are basic rights, like privacy and free speech, protected by law to shield individuals from excessive government control.