As Wisconsin cities flee Flock, its shared camera network loses value
Summary
Several cities and counties in Wisconsin are ending their contracts with Flock, a company that provides automated license plate cameras. These cancellations are due to concerns about privacy and trust, and as more local areas stop using Flock, the value of the shared camera network decreases for those who remain.Key Facts
- Dane County in Wisconsin stopped funding Flock’s license plate cameras and banned further spending on the system.
- The Dane County Board cited concerns about privacy and possible violations of Fourth Amendment rights.
- After Dane County left, nearby communities found the Flock network less useful because they lost access to that data.
- The cities of Monona and Fitchburg reviewed or ended their Flock contracts due to privacy and data use concerns.
- The town of McFarland decided not to start using Flock cameras because the network had shrunk and wasn’t worth the investment.
- The University of Wisconsin police also chose not to renew their Flock contract but still support the use of similar technology from another vendor.
- Madison, the state capital, never used Flock cameras and avoids automated surveillance technologies like license plate readers.
- Flock’s network had shared data among 140 law enforcement agencies across multiple states before these cancellations.
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