ACLU says most of Flock's safeguards fall short

American Civil Liberties UnionACLU statement by privacy advocate Chad Marlow

Condemned

The ACLU said most of Flock's announced safeguards did not resolve the underlying privacy concerns, while allowing that shorter default retention might prove useful.

Responding to

Flock's August 2026 safeguards meaningfully address privacy and misuse concerns about its license-plate reader network.

“Several of the proposed changes Flock is touting are merely retreads of previous inadequate safety measures.”

Official statement

Read the official statement (opens in a new tab)Despite 'New' Updates, Flock's Creepy Cameras Remain Major Civil Liberties Threat · American Civil Liberties Union

Case updates

Do Flock's new safeguards answer the ACLU's concerns?

Get an email if Flock rolls out its remaining controls or changes its retention terms, or if the ACLU or police customers report how the safeguards work in practice.

Important updates only. Free. Confirm your email to start. Unsubscribe anytime. How we handle your email.

Graphic comparing Flock Safety's old 30-day data-retention default with its new seven-day default.
Credit: Flock Safety

Where this statement fits

Did Flock Safety's August 2026 privacy safeguards address concerns about its camera network?

Flock Safety announced new controls for its license-plate reader network on August 13, 2026. The ACLU said a shorter default retention period might help but argued that the broader package left major privacy risks unresolved. The dispute concerns the adequacy of Flock's safeguards, not whether the company announced them.

Read the full case

Source and context

Official statement

Despite 'New' Updates, Flock's Creepy Cameras Remain Major Civil Liberties Threat (opens in a new tab) · American Civil Liberties Union

About this source

Chad Marlow's response for the ACLU to Flock Safety's August 13 privacy and accountability announcement. The response discusses retention, Evidence Mode, interagency sharing, auditing and search controls.

Before the quotation

Chad Marlow responded to Flock's August 13 announcement for the ACLU.

After the quotation

He questioned Evidence Mode, offense filters, audit tools and search codes, and called for stronger independent scrutiny.

How this statement is classified

Condemned

The label describes this statement's response within the context above.

Why this label?

The ACLU's overall conclusion rejects the adequacy of the package despite a limited favorable assessment of shorter default retention.

Recorded on
Published here
People and groups discussed
Flock Safety

More from this case

Read the full case

Share or embed this statement

Quote card: American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU says most of Flock's safeguards fall shortDownload image (PNG)

The embed keeps its attribution link to The Dispute Index. Credit the image to The Dispute Index and link to the statement page.

Cite this record

Publisher
The Dispute Index
Title
ACLU says most of Flock's safeguards fall short
First published
Last updated
Permalink
https://disputeindex.com/events/2912-the-aclu-said-most-of-flock-s-announced

Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.

The Dispute Index. "ACLU says most of Flock's safeguards fall short". First published: 2026-09-28. Last updated: 2026-09-28. https://disputeindex.com/events/2912-the-aclu-said-most-of-flock-s-announced