Free Press Defends Flock Safety License-Plate Readers Amid Privacy Backlash

The Free Press sparked controversy after a social-media post defended Flock Safety’s expanding array of automated license-plate readers, suggesting the devices only focus on kidnappers, thieves or other wrongdoers. In a video shared with the post, reporter Maya Sulkin left out several important facts about the technology, which were later highlighted in an X Community Note. More than 110,000 Flock cameras have been installed nationwide, recording every passing vehicle’s plate, bumper stickers, roof racks and even Bluetooth and Wi-Fi signals, creating searchable movement databases accessible to law-enforcement without a warrant.

Civil-rights attorneys Andreia Trifoi and Chad Marlow warned that such drag-net surveillance threatens Fourth Amendment rights and could chill free speech, religion and association. They called for legislative safeguards to regulate ALPR use. Meanwhile, a Mordor Intelligence report noted rapid growth in the U.S. surveillance market, projecting a value exceeding $27 billion by 2031.