90,000 Flock Cameras Track US Vehicles, Raising AI and Privacy Risks
Updated
Updated · ZDNet · Jul 21
90,000 Flock Cameras Track US Vehicles, Raising AI and Privacy Risks
3 articles · Updated · ZDNet · Jul 21
Summary
Roughly 90,000 Flock-branded cameras are estimated to be operating across the US, quietly capturing passing vehicles and feeding records into a shared searchable network used by more than 12,000 customers.
Falcon cameras take about six to 12 still images per pass and analyze plates, make, model, color, direction and visible features, with records uploaded over cellular links to cloud storage and generally deleted after 30 days.
Privacy advocates say the network effect matters most: pooled camera data can reconstruct where people live, work, worship and travel, while broader access lets outside agencies search or download records beyond local rules.
AI-driven searches and alerts add further risk, critics say, because systems can flag vague 'suspicious' patterns or misread partial plates; one false alert in Minnesota led police to surround a driver and his wife.
Public pushback has already forced some reversals, including Saranac Lake's contract cancellation, and critics are calling for hearings, disclosure of data-sharing rules and stronger guardrails before more cameras go up.