Gizmodo's AJ Dellinger says Flock's new features leave plenty of room for misuse
AJ DellingerContributor to Gizmodo, writing an analysis of Flock's announcement
Writing for Gizmodo, AJ Dellinger said Flock's new features may reduce some abuse but leave plenty of room for misuse, because enforcement of the abuse controls falls to police and agencies can still extend the retention window.
Responding to
Flock's August 2026 safeguards meaningfully address privacy and misuse concerns about its license-plate reader network.
“Flock’s new features may lessen abuses on the fringes, but there is still plenty of room for misuse.”
Analysis
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.
Source and context
Analysis
About this source
Gizmodo analysis by AJ Dellinger of the changes Flock announced on August 13, 2026, including a Flock spokesperson's statements on retention windows and Evidence Mode.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Dellinger reviewed the changes Flock announced on August 13, 2026, including a seven-day default retention period, Evidence Mode, limits on which offenses other agencies can search for and wider use of Audit Assistance. A Flock spokesperson told Gizmodo that agencies can extend or reduce the retention window.
After the quotation
He wrote that making good on the abuse prevention falls on law enforcement and that the changes do little to address false matches that flag people for crimes they did not commit.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The case asks whether Flock's August 2026 safeguard package (a seven-day default retention period, Evidence Mode, offense-based sharing limits, mandatory Audit Assistance, proactive lockouts and case codes) addresses privacy and misuse concerns about its plate-reader network. Dellinger grants that the new features may reduce abuse at the margins but concludes that they leave plenty of room for misuse and depend on police to enforce them. Condemns fits because he judges the package inadequate. Mixed or conditional is the closest competing label; it loses because his limited credit does not change that conclusion.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Flock Safety
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- Gizmodo's AJ Dellinger says Flock's new features leave plenty of room for misuse
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The Dispute Index. "Gizmodo's AJ Dellinger says Flock's new features leave plenty of room for misuse". First published: 2026-11-10. Last updated: 2026-11-10. https://disputeindex.com/events/8531-writing-for-gizmodo-aj-dellinger-said-flock-s