The city’s police department did not renew its contract due to data privacy concerns.
The Los Angeles Police Department has suspended its use of controversial surveillance tech from Flock Safety. The city’s law enforcement had signed a three-year deal with Flock in 2023 that expired over the weekend.
Flock operates 138 cameras in LA, and they are ostensibly used to check vehicle license plates. While that information could help law enforcement to find cars that are stolen or registered to fugitives, city leaders questioned the privacy controls for the data collected by the company. Flock has reportedly shared its data with state and federal authorities, including the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, even though California has legislation to restrict what details companies can share with government officials.
“The sticking point is around having very clear terms about who owns the data, what happens with the data once they collect it,” LAPD Chief Information officer Dean Gialamas told the Los Angeles Times. He said the department will stop using Flock “Until we can get those data, privacy, security and sharing concerns ironed out through a contractual relationship.”
In addition to the privacy issues around Flock sharing data with immigration authorities, the company’s cameras have also been exposed as having multiple cybersecurity flaws.
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