THE CRUNCH
Local governments across the United States are cancelling their contracts with Flock, the company behind controversial AI-enabled license plate readers, in response to public outcry. However, ending the contracts does not necessarily mean the cameras will be removed immediately or that the information gathered will be deleted anytime soon. Each jurisdiction's contract is different, but many allow Flock to retain data
long after the contract ends, leaving a gap in oversight for sensitive information. Even as state and local governments decide to rein in their surveillance capabilities, uncertainty remains about what Flock can and will do with data that has already been collected.