Surveillance cameras used by police were reportedly aimed at a single motorist no less than 526 times over a four-month span, according to a legal complaint.
In a recent development, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has published a report warning about the potential privacy implications of Flock Safety's centralised Automatic License Plate Reader (ALPR) data. The report suggests that this data creates a comprehensive database tracking drivers' locations, a phenomenon unprecedented in American life.
The concern has been heightened by incidents in Norfolk, Virginia. One resident in the greater Norfolk area was logged 14 times over a span of 6 1/2 hours, while another co-plaintiff, Crystal Arrington, was logged 849 times between February 19 and July 3, 2023. A retired veteran, Lee Schmidt, was logged an astonishing 526 times during the same period.
Norfolk, Virginia, has a deal worth $2.2 million with Flock Safety for the camera system, which is set to run through the end of 2027. The city is not the only one using Flock Safety's services; the company has become the largest provider of ALPRs in the country.
Privacy and immigration advocates have expressed concern that Flock's extensive database of license plate location information could be used in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) investigations. However, ICE and its parent agencies do not appear to have a current contract with Flock.
The Institute for Justice, a nonprofit libertarian law firm, is representing Schmidt and Arrington in a lawsuit against Norfolk. The lawsuit is concerned with the use of ALPRs and argues that their use without a warrant constitutes an unreasonable search.
The city's use of ALPRs is not unique. Local police with access to Flock have shared information with ICE, according to reporting from 404 Media. This raises questions about the extent to which personal data is being shared and for what purposes.
Virginia passed a law earlier this year largely prohibiting the sharing of ALPR data outside of the state. This is a step towards addressing privacy concerns, but the broader implications of Flock's data collection practices remain a subject of debate.
In the tech industry, Nvidia has announced a $5B investment in Intel to develop chips. This news, while not directly related to the ongoing debate about ALPRs, underscores the ongoing changes and developments in the technology sector.
Matthew Guariglia, a senior policy analyst at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, finds it unnerving that ALPRs can track a person's movements extensively. As the debate continues, it is clear that privacy concerns will remain at the forefront of discussions about technology and surveillance.
