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 technology from Flock Safety. City law enforcement had signed a three-year deal with Flock in 2023, which expired this weekend.
Flock operates 138 cameras in Los Angeles, and they are apparently used to check vehicle license plates. While this information can help law enforcement track down cars stolen or registered to fugitives, city leaders have questioned the privacy controls on the data the company collects. Flock reportedly shared its data with state and federal authorities, including the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, even though California has legislation limiting the details companies can share with government officials.
“The tricky part is having very clear terms about who owns the data, what happens with the data once it’s collected,” said Dean Gialamas, LAPD public information officer. Los Angeles Times. He said the department would stop using Flock “until we can resolve these data, privacy, security and sharing issues through a contractual relationship.”
In addition to privacy concerns surrounding Flock’s sharing of data with immigration authorities, the company’s cameras have also been revealed to have multiple cybersecurity vulnerabilities.
