Have you noticed tall poles popping up in your neighborhood that appear to be holding some sort of camera device? Chances are, those are made by Flock Safety — often referred to simply as a Flock camera. These cameras use AI to capture specific info about the cars that pass by them.
The data they collect includes everything from license plates to the types of bumper stickers on your car, and that information is later shared with law enforcement officials, which is supposed to help solve crimes. However, there has been a tidal wave of complaints about the cameras being misused by these officials, and now Flock Safety says it wants to address the issue.
On Aug. 13, 2026, the company posted on its website detailing several changes it plans to make to keep people’s personal data secure. A Flock Safety executive even went on a press tour, appearing on morning shows like WCNC to talk about how the changes will affect users.
Of course, some believe there are no changes that could ever make Flock cameras welcome in their neighborhoods. Here’s what we know.
Flock Safety Will Change How Long Data Is Stored and How It’s Accessed
According to the update on the company’s website, Flock Safety plans to make several adjustments, including reducing how long it stores data. Moving forward, the company says it will only preserve general information for seven days for those agencies that elect this feature as opposed to the prior 30-day time frame.
However, the company notes that there will be an Evidence Mode option, which will allow specific information to be stored for longer if it’s needed as part of an ongoing investigation.
Additionally, you’ll need to enter a case code to access any data, which the company says should give law enforcement agencies more oversight into why people are accessing the system.
The Company Wants to Fight Back Against Abuse
It feels like there are national headlines at least once a week these days about officials using data obtained by a Flock camera for personal or private use. “Abuse of Flock technology, at any level, is unacceptable,” an excerpt from the company’s website reads.
In the past few months, Flock Safety says it has introduced new safeguards to prevent this kind of activity, which include Audit Assistance to detect any abnormal behavior. If the auditor picks up on something, it will flag an administrator to review it.
While this feature was only rolled out 16 weeks ago, the update on the website says all law enforcement users will be required to start using it by the end of 2026.
People Seem Nearly United in Their Distrust of the Cameras
It’s hard to get people online to agree on much, but it seems most people are anti-Flock cameras. All you have to do is look at any social media post about the topic, and you’ll see why people hate them so much.
“As long as the data is collected, there will be misuse,” one person wrote in a comment on a Facebook post from Fox 5 Atlanta. “Can’t misuse what you don’t have.”
“Oh, hear me out, we should vote on it, you know, like the tax-paying citizens are supposed to do before implementing a nearly invasive, risky, and easily abused system and unmonitored technology,” another person wrote.