Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer is demanding that Flock Safety explain who can search its network of license plate cameras, how much vehicle data it holds and what safeguards prevent misuse. In a statement released Sunday, the New York senator said he sent the company a letter seeking answers by Oct. 16.
Schumer also called for the deletion of personal data that is not connected to a crime. His questions focus in part on Flock's National Lookup Tool, which can let participating agencies search camera records collected beyond their own jurisdictions.
Flock's cameras record license plates and vehicle characteristics along with the time and place of a sighting. Schumer's office said the company has deployed about 120,000 cameras in 49 states, and he asked whether federal agencies have obtained records directly or through local law enforcement.
Competing accounts of access controls
Schumer said the network could allow broad tracking without sufficient public oversight. He also raised concerns about reports of officers misusing plate readers and of a camera security breach in which an encryption key was reportedly recovered from a device. Those claims and the extent of any resulting data exposure were not independently established by his announcement.
Flock says on its public access-policy page that agencies decide whether to share their camera data, that sharing is not automatic and that approved users must give an investigative reason for searches. The company says each search is logged for supervisory review. Those statements describe Flock's general policies, not a response to Schumer's new letter.
The company also says federal agencies do not participate in statewide or national lookup and that direct access for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement requires an agency's express permission. Schumer is seeking details about whether those controls have prevented access through other agencies in practice.
Questions about records and retention
Schumer asked Flock to disclose how much camera data is stored on its servers and who can reach it. The release does not include the company's contracts with individual agencies, a list of New York camera locations or an account of a specific Finger Lakes agency's current access settings.
Flock says it has reduced its recommended default retention period from 30 days to seven days, but individual agency policies and applicable law can affect how records are handled. Schumer's requested Oct. 16 reply could clarify how the company applies its safeguards and the scope of searches across jurisdictions.
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