Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe signed an executive order establishing safeguards for automated license plate readers like Flock cameras, requiring data deletion within 30 days, prohibiting vendor data sales, and restricting use to legitimate law enforcement purposes. The order aims to protect residents' constitutional rights and privacy while allowing law enforcement to benefit from the technology, with penalties for misuse including criminal referral and license revocation.
Hackers from stegan0gram obtained filesystem images of Flock ALPR cameras and published them via DDoSecrets, revealing severe security vulnerabilities including obsolete Android 8.1 (no updates since 2021), outdated Linux kernel 3.18 (9+ years old), and hardcoded credentials. The cameras lack patches for multiple known exploits including CVE-2021-1905 and CVE-2018-9568 that could grant full device control.
Hackers obtained and analyzed Flock Safety's camera software by physically removing a device, revealing that the ALPR system tracks vehicles, people, license plates, and bicycles while storing encryption keys on-device. The breach exposes how Flock's national network shares surveillance data across thousands of agencies, raising concerns about privacy and misuse including immigration enforcement and abortion cases.
Independent candidates Seth Bodnar in Montana and Adam Heimerman in Tennessee are opposing Flock Safety automated license plate reader cameras through their campaigns, with Bodnar destroying a camera in a political ad and Heimerman allegedly shooting four government cameras. The issue reflects growing public frustration over surveillance technology, creating divisions within the Republican Party between those citing privacy concerns and Donald Trump, who supports the cameras for law enforcement purposes.
A Lake County, Indiana officer searched 19,000 Flock Safety cameras across 1,558 cities with the justification 'LMAO', one of dozens of frivolous search reasons identified by the Electronic Frontier Foundation in police records from 2023-2025. Flock responded by replacing free-text justifications with pre-populated categories, though the EFF warns this reduces transparency and oversight of the surveillance network, which has grown to over 120,000 cameras nationwide.
A police officer discusses Flock Safety, an Atlanta-based startup that deploys affordable automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) cameras on roadsides to help law enforcement catch stolen vehicles and wanted criminals. ALPR technology, originally developed in 1976, has proven highly effective in solving crimes, and Flock's $3,000 annual subscription model has made it accessible to nearly 30 percent of US police departments.
An EFF analysis of Flock Safety automated license plate reader (ALPR) search logs reveals that police officers across the United States are abusing mass surveillance systems by conducting searches with frivolous or nonsensical justifications like 'LOL,' 'LMAO,' 'sexy,' and 'idk.' Despite vendor claims of improved safeguards, the systems lack warrant requirements and meaningful audit processes, enabling officers to track citizens' locations for personal whims, stalking, ethnic profiling, and trivial complaints.
A Flock Safety technician called police on investigative reporter Brendan Keefe while installing an automated license plate reader camera on a public street near Atlanta, claiming he was being followed and harassed. Keefe was documenting the camera installation from a distance and wearing press credentials when police stopped him; the incident reflects broader debate over Flock's surveillance technology and privacy concerns that have prompted numerous communities to cancel contracts or ban the devices.
The Kosciusko County Council voted 5-0 to defund Flock cameras and other surveillance technologies, including ALPR systems and Axon Justice software, after hours of bipartisan public testimony against the equipment. The council can only withhold funding, not cancel contracts, which remains the commissioners' authority. Existing cameras in county buildings and officer body cameras were exempted from the defunding motions.