AUSTIN, Texas — On the heels of Austin ending its contract with Flock Safety, the license plate camera company is pausing its pilot projects with federal agencies. One example is Flock Safety pausing a pilot program with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. There are concerns that some of FLOCK Safety’s federal partners are misusing the cameras.
Data sharing and privacy were also issues for the City of Austin. The city council axed its license plate reader program earlier this summer. Other cities, such as Pflugerville and Hutto, are continuing to use the cameras at busy intersections. They support Flock Safety’s proven record of finding missing people and stolen vehicles. But the Austin City Council decided the positives did not outweigh privacy concerns.
“There is a lot of concern about surveillance and the monitoring of our movements throughout society and how that impacts our civil liberties,” said Mike Siegel, Council Member for District 7…