Surveillance company Flock Safety announced changes to its systems after facing widespread backlash due to concerns of data retention and misuse.
Its new changes include the rollout of “Evidence Mode,” which will “preserve specific data for active investigations when needed,” the company said, as well as adjusting its data retention to seven days instead of thirty days.
“Our analysis shows that over 90% of searches without a full plate are done within a week,” the company said in a statement. “Evidence Mode, which will roll out in the coming weeks, addresses the exceptional cases that take longer: detectives can preserve specific ALPR data as evidence for an active investigation in cold storage, consistent with existing laws and policies.”
“Existing customers will keep their current, democratically approved retention periods,” the company added. “Customers who adopt the 7-day recommendation will receive Evidence Mode at no cost. Every community will continue to choose the retention period that fits its public safety strategy.”
Flock said it will also introduce what it calls “offense filtering for sharing.”
With this new system, cities can “choose which type of offenses are permissible for other agencies to access their cameras,” allowing local governments to retain control over data sharing but maintain collaboration when necessary, Flock added.
The system updates follow lawmakers sounding the alarm about what some fear to be a growing surveillance scheme utilizing automated license plate readers. Specifically, Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs and Rep. Tim Burchett urged action to be taken as Flock Safety’s cameras spread across the nation.
