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Surveillance company changes camera data, Pa. lawmakers consider regulations
Дата публикации: 13-08-2026 16:36:27



Flock Safety — a surveillance camera company — is changing how data collected by its license plate cameras can be stored and accessed as the technology faces privacy concerns and increased scrutiny from lawmakers.
The company’s cameras are used by law enforcement agencies in communities around the country to help track vehicles. Flock said its new changes are intended to strengthen privacy, accountability and security.
Among the changes is a shorter default period for retaining data about people’s movements. Flock is also widely deploying a system that locks users out for what the company calls abnormal behavior.
Adam Wandt, an associate professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said questions over how long data should be retained involve balancing law enforcement needs with the public’s privacy concerns.
“There’s two sides to this story. On one side, law enforcement wants access to historical data to be able to trace and track criminal activity because very often law enforcement doesn’t find out about criminal activity for days, weeks, even months afterwards,” Wandt said. “On the other side of the issue, the public is worried that there are data sets of where they have been driving for years.”
Wandt said determining an appropriate period for retaining the information could provide a compromise.
“Somewhere in the middle lies a middle ground where we will be able to figure out where the correct data retention time is so that law enforcement can use the tech while the public is a bit more comfortable knowing there aren’t years of their travels in a database,” Wandt said.
The changes come as some communities reconsider their use of the cameras.
Wilmington, Del., recently announced it was decommissioning some donated Flock cameras, saying the city did not have a contract with the company and was not in control of how data was shared.
Meanwhile, lawmakers in Pennsylvania are considering ways to regulate license plate cameras.
State Rep. Tarik Khan, a Philadelphia Democrat, is working on legislation addressing the technology. His proposal is one of several bills concerning license plate cameras under consideration in Harrisburg.
“I’m glad they’re actually acknowledging there is a problem,” Khan said of Flock’s changes.
Khan said he wants rules governing who can access data, why they can access it and how long the information can be stored.
“We want to make sure that people’s data is being protected. We want to make sure there are controls about who actually can access this data, how long the data can be stored, for what reason people can access this data and then also set causes of action if people have been harmed by this,” Khan said.
With individual states potentially adopting different rules, Khan said he hopes the federal government will ultimately take action.
Flock also said it is introducing a system that allows cities to determine which types of offenses can qualify for other agencies to access their cameras.
This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC Philadelphia. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC Philadelphia journalist edited the article for publication.


Основное содержимое страницы с новостью.

Flock Safety -- a surveillance camera company -- is changing how data collected by its license plate cameras can be stored and accessed as the technology faces privacy concerns and increased scrutiny from lawmakers.

The company's cameras are used by law enforcement agencies in communities around the country to help track vehicles. Flock said its new changes are intended to strengthen privacy, accountability and security.

Among the changes is a shorter default period for retaining data about people's movements. Flock is also widely deploying a system that locks users out for what the company calls abnormal behavior.

Adam Wandt, an associate professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said questions over how long data should be retained involve balancing law enforcement needs with the public's privacy concerns.

"There's two sides to this story. On one side, law enforcement wants access to historical data to be able to trace and track criminal activity because very often law enforcement doesn't find out about criminal activity for days, weeks, even months afterwards," Wandt said. "On the other side of the issue, the public is worried that there are data sets of where they have been driving for years."

Wandt said determining an appropriate period for retaining the information could provide a compromise.

"Somewhere in the middle lies a middle ground where we will be able to figure out where the correct data retention time is so that law enforcement can use the tech while the public is a bit more comfortable knowing there aren't years of their travels in a database," Wandt said.

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The changes come as some communities reconsider their use of the cameras.

Wilmington, Del., recently announced it was decommissioning some donated Flock cameras, saying the city did not have a contract with the company and was not in control of how data was shared.

Meanwhile, lawmakers in Pennsylvania are considering ways to regulate license plate cameras.

State Rep. Tarik Khan, a Philadelphia Democrat, is working on legislation addressing the technology. His proposal is one of several bills concerning license plate cameras under consideration in Harrisburg.

"I'm glad they're actually acknowledging there is a problem," Khan said of Flock's changes.

Khan said he wants rules governing who can access data, why they can access it and how long the information can be stored.

"We want to make sure that people's data is being protected. We want to make sure there are controls about who actually can access this data, how long the data can be stored, for what reason people can access this data and then also set causes of action if people have been harmed by this," Khan said.

With individual states potentially adopting different rules, Khan said he hopes the federal government will ultimately take action.

Flock also said it is introducing a system that allows cities to determine which types of offenses can qualify for other agencies to access their cameras.

This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC Philadelphia. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC Philadelphia journalist edited the article for publication.

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