Nine Massachusetts Communities Drop Flock Cameras as Privacy Backlash Targets 120,000-device Police Network
Updated
Updated · The Boston Globe · Jul 30
Nine Massachusetts Communities Drop Flock Cameras as Privacy Backlash Targets 120,000-device Police Network
3 articles · Updated · The Boston Globe · Jul 30
Summary
At least nine of roughly 106 Massachusetts communities using Flock have recently ended contracts after resident complaints, with Cambridge, Framingham and Salem among those cutting ties and others weighing reviews.
Privacy concerns center on police sharing license-plate data across agencies without warrants, letting officers trace vehicles through networks of about 20 cameras in a town and potentially beyond state lines.
Flock says its cameras have helped recover stolen cars, find more than 10,000 missing people and identify misuse by five Georgia officers in July, while calling improper searches "infinitesimally small."
Salem declined to renew after concluding Flock lacked sufficient data protections, while Tewksbury kept its contract for now and hired a cybersecurity consultant to draft stricter safeguards.
The dispute reflects a broader clash over automated surveillance: Flock has more than 120,000 cameras in 49 states and 5,000 law-enforcement subscribers, but critics warn the system can sidestep limits on immigration-data sharing.