Flock Makes Audit Tool Mandatory for Police Customers Amid Questions Over How It Works

Surveillance technology startup Flock has announced a series of new policies and tools aimed at curbing the abuse of its automated license plate reader systems. The company stated on Thursday that these changes are designed to help keep its law enforcement customers accountable. Among the updates is a recommendation for police departments to shorten their data retention periods and the mandatory rollout of a tool designed to flag abnormal user activity.

As part of the policy updates, Flock is now recommending that police departments retain data for seven days, a significant reduction from the previous recommendation of 30 days. To accommodate situations where longer retention is necessary, the company has introduced "Evidence Mode." This feature allows customers to retain data for longer periods in "exceptional cases," though it requires the user to input a specific case number. Additionally, customers can now restrict the data they share with other agencies based on the specific type of offense being investigated.

The Rollout of Audit Assistance

A central component of Flock's announcement is "Audit Assistance," a tool first launched in April. According to the company, more than one-third of its customers have already enabled the feature. Flock has now announced that all customers will be required to enable Audit Assistance by the end of this year.

Flock explained in a blog post that the tool "detects abnormal activity and flags it for Administrator review." When atypical activity is detected, the system can automatically lock out the flagged user until an administrator intervenes. The startup claims the tool has already assisted customers in identifying and stopping instances of system abuse.

Company executives have highlighted some of the capabilities of Audit Assistance, though detailed explanations of its inner workings remain limited. Ashley Haber, Flock's head of trust and compliance, stated in a video that the tool can flag "what may look like an odd search history from a specific user." Flock co-founder Paige Todd added that the tool "flags unusual patterns early," such as a user repeatedly searching for the same license plate for more than 30 days.

Questions Over Algorithmic Transparency

While some law enforcement customers, such as Major Patrick Krieg of the Dunwoody Police Department in Georgia, have described the tool as "an algorithm that has notified us of any type of bias," questions persist regarding how the system functions. It remains unclear what specific data the algorithm is trained on, whether it utilizes a large language model, and what precise patterns trigger an "abnormal activity" flag.

Flock has clarified to TechCrunch that Audit Assistance is not based on machine learning or artificial intelligence. Instead, the company described it as "a data tool that flags atypical search patterns for further review." For example, a flag would be triggered if a user searches for the same license plate using multiple different case codes, which could indicate potential abuse. Flock noted that a flag does not definitively prove abuse but indicates that further investigation is warranted.

However, the company has not provided statistics regarding the tool's effectiveness, its false positive or false negative rates, or whether the system has undergone a third-party audit.

Privacy Experts Raise Concerns

Privacy advocates and critics of Flock have expressed skepticism regarding the new tool. Chad Marlow, senior policy counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), stated that "there is no evidence that the tool works consistently" to prevent abuse. Marlow argued that while recent arrests of officers for misusing Flock are cited by the company as proof of the tool's success, the actual detection rate remains unknown without independent evaluation.

Cooper Quintin, a security researcher and senior public interest technologist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), suggested that even a functional tool could be bypassed by determined users. Quintin emphasized that accountability depends on the consequences faced by abusers, noting that if the tool merely reports to the same agency committing the abuse, it serves as little more than a "fig leaf." He advocated for legislative constraints and warrant requirements to ensure proper oversight.

Rachel Levinson-Waldman, director of the Brennan Center’s Liberty and National Security Program, called the mandatory rollout a step in the right direction and "a great idea" in theory. However, she joined calls for the tool itself to be independently audited due to the lack of public information about its practical performance.

The policy changes and tool rollouts follow multiple reported incidents of technology misuse. Recently, three former Georgia sheriff's deputies from the Bibb County Sheriff's Office were arrested and accused of using Flock cameras to stalk individuals with whom they had personal relationships. Bibb County Sheriff David Davis credited Flock's Audit Assistance tool with uncovering the unauthorized activity.