Tempe turns off its Flock license plate reader system, citing privacy concerns and risk for 'misuse'
The city of Tempe, Arizona, has decided to terminate its contract with Flock Safety and deactivate its license plate reader cameras. Officials cited concerns regarding privacy and the potential for misuse, noting similar issues reported in other jurisdictions.
Why it matters
This reflects a growing trend of local governments re-evaluating the balance between public safety surveillance technology and civil liberties.
Tempe joins a growing list of cities ending their relationships with Flock over concerns of privacy, misuse, and data sharing. Bloomberg/Getty Images Tempe, Arizona, shut down its Flock cameras over privacy and misuse concerns. While police found no misuse in Tempe, there have been cases of suspected misuse in nearby cities. Tempe joins a growing list of cities ending their relationships with Flock, including Los Angeles. More cities are walking away from collaborations with Flock. Tempe, Arizona, said on Wednesday that it shut down its network of Flock Safety license plate readers and plans to terminate its contract with the surveillance company, citing privacy risks and cases of alleged misuse reported by other cities. The city said that it would not replace the system with technology from another provider. Tempe operated 33 Flock cameras, which police used to identify vehicles during investigations.
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