Flock's new police oversight tool lacks technical transparency
Original: Flock says its new tool will help identify police abuse, but hasn’t explained how it works
Why This Matters
ALPR systems are widely used by U.S. law enforcement; accountability tools without disclosed methodology raise transparency concerns.
Surveillance tech startup Flock Safety announced new policies and tools on August 13 aimed at curbing misuse of its license plate reader systems. Key additions include a 7-day data retention recommendation and mandatory rollout of its "Audit Assistance" tool, but the company has not disclosed how the tool technically functions.
Flock Safety, a surveillance technology startup specializing in automated license plate readers (ALPR), announced a package of policy updates on August 13, 2026. Changes include shortening the recommended data retention period from 30 days to 7 days, introducing "Evidence Mode" for longer retention tied to specific case numbers, and allowing customers to restrict data sharing based on offense type.
Central to the announcement is "Audit Assistance," launched in April 2026. Flock says more than one-third of customers have already enabled it, and the company is now requiring all customers to activate it by year-end. The tool claims to detect abnormal user activity and can automatically lock out flagged users pending administrator review.
Despite executive statements highlighting the tool's value — including references to flagging repetitive plate searches and detecting "bias" — Flock has not publicly detailed how Audit Assistance works. TechCrunch asked whether it uses machine learning or large language models. Flock responded that it is "not based on ML or AI" and described it as "a data tool that flags atypical search patterns," citing repeated plate searches as one trigger. Further technical specifics were not provided.