Wisconsin municipalities have increasingly backed away from Flock Safety's license plate reader program, highlighting a weakness in a system that depends on broad participation.
As Ars Technica reported, because agencies benefit from sharing camera data across the network, each departure cuts into what the remaining members get, even as taxpayer funding may still be committed to the service.
Here's what to know
Dane County, Wisconsin's second-most populous county, had planned to use 24 Flock license plate cameras before local officials pulled back from the system after concerns were raised by residents and privacy experts.
Ars Technica reported the Dane County Board of Supervisors voted on April 16 to remove $80,000 in county funding for the cameras and prohibit "further expenditures on the system."
Flock's model depends on many agencies contributing to a common network, so when multiple cities withdraw, coverage contracts and the value proposition weakens for those still paying in.
"Once Dane County lost their funding for Flock, we lost about half of the potential camera network within Dane County," declared McFarland Chief of Police Brian Redman in a statement, per Ars Technica. "I had to ask, 'Were we still going to get the return on our investment with that loss?'"
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More background
That dynamic appears to be playing out across Wisconsin, Ars Technica noted. Multiple cities have reportedly ended Flock contracts over privacy and public-trust concerns.
License plate reader networks can record where vehicles travel and when, raising concerns about how long data is stored, who can access it, and whether the movements of innocent people are being swept into a broader surveillance system.
What's being done?
County Board Chair Patrick Miles elaborated on Dane County's decision.
"There are well-documented concerns about how this company operates and uses its technology to violate people's Fourth Amendment rights," Miles said, per Ars Technica. "We are open to considering other companies that have stronger safeguards in place."
Flock's leadership is trying to shore up those concerns about privacy and misuse by asserting they are addressing some of these problems.
Still, the widespread privacy concerns could see other areas cancelling contracts, weakening Flock's networks and the system's effectiveness.
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