East Lansing has purchased a Flock camera, a powerful law enforcement tool that has spurred privacy concerns in communities around the country.
Each time a vehicle drives by a Flock camera, the device snaps a photo, gathering information like the license plate number and a description of the vehicle, and noting the date and time it passed by. This information is stored in Flock’s database, data the camera owner can choose to share with other entities.
Groups like the ACLU believe collecting data on every car that drives by is an invasion of privacy, when the vast majority of drivers have done nothing wrong. Artificial intelligence has enhanced search capabilities, allowing law enforcement to look for vehicles based on appearance, even allowing for unique features like bumper stickers to be flagged…