Senator Bernie Sanders introduced the Ban Flock Act, which would prohibit federal agencies from operating automatic license plate reader systems or accessing data from such systems run by local police or private vendors like Flock. The bill allows exceptions only for toll collection and future congressional approvals capped at 48-hour data retention, and would cut federal grants to state and local governments that fail to comply, while allowing lawsuits and enforcement by state attorneys general.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-10-03
Officials in St. Lucie County, Florida discovered 11 license-plate reader cameras installed along roads without any permits or links to local or state agencies. Authorities say they have not determined who installed the devices or where the collected data has been going.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-10-02
After canceling its Flock contract, St. Lucie County, Florida discovered 66 license-plate-reading cameras installed instead of the 52 it had authorized. The sheriff's office admitted to owning three of the extras without explaining their deployment, leaving 11 cameras that no local police agency has claimed. The county has wrapped the unclaimed devices in plastic with notices stating they will be removed within 30 days.
techspot.com
· 2026-10-02
After St. Lucie County, Florida decided to stop using Flock surveillance cameras and began removing them, officials discovered 14 devices beyond the 52 they believed were installed. The Sheriff's Office later claimed three of those unpermitted cameras without explaining the lack of paperwork, leaving 11 cameras whose owners remain unidentified.
engadget.com
· 2026-10-01
Amazon has refreshed its Kindle, Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle Colorsoft e-readers, giving all three models flush screens instead of recessed displays. The update also introduces new color options and two page-turning accessories, a wireless remote and a cover case.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-10-01
According to 404 Media's review of public records and court documents, the Trump administration is using the decades-old HIDTA anti-drug trafficking grant program to require cities to send automated license plate reader data from Flock, Axon and other vendors to federal servers. That data is accessible to multiple federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, and in some cases is further shared with the DEA's National License Plate Reader Program.
404media.co
· 2026-10-01
Cybersecurity researcher Joshua Michael published a map based on Flock Security's own leaked location data, identifying more than 170,000 cameras and 130,000 related devices, including 27,000 acoustic sensors, across the US. That total roughly triples the 120,000-camera figure Flock had publicly cited this summer, and the findings were referenced during a Senate Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism hearing on the company.
theintercept.com
· 2026-09-28
West Haven, Connecticut plans to link four AXIS audio detection devices to its existing Rekor license plate readers to catch loud mufflers and stereos, with first-offense fines up to $100. Mayor Dorinda Borer said the city still needs to set a noise threshold and that flagged violations will be emailed to police for manual review rather than automatically ticketed. The move follows similar noise-camera programs in cities like New York, Knoxville, Miami Beach and Santa Fe, where NYC's 12 cameras issued 1,691 summonses in 2025 with fines reaching $2,625.
techspot.com
· 2026-09-28
Newly unsealed court documents show five Indianapolis police officers have been charged with misusing the department's Flock automatic license plate readers, including 18-year veteran Jonathan Schultz, accused of using roughly 300 cameras to stalk his ex-wife and another woman. Separately, Franklin County, North Carolina ended its Flock contract and fired a detective for tracking a private citizen, while San Jose officials are pushing for tighter controls after an officer shared Flock data with a relative accused of domestic violence.
futurism.com
· 2026-09-27
Indianapolis police charged five officers Wednesday with fraud and misconduct after an internal audit of the city's 301-camera Flock system uncovered widespread abuse; one officer also faces a stalking charge. One officer had already resigned and the other four were suspended and recommended for termination. County prosecutor Ryan Mears said one officer searched license plates tied to his wife and two acquaintances 3,759 times over ten months.
yro.slashdot.org
· 2026-09-24
Chooseco, the publisher behind the 'Choose Your Own Adventure' series, is starting a new imprint called CYOA Unbound. The imprint will produce interactive fiction aimed at adult readers, expanding beyond the company's traditional children's audience.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-09-23
Flock Safety announced changes to its automated license-plate-reading system after facing scrutiny from lawmakers in Congress. The company shortened its default data-retention period from 30 days to seven, introduced standardized categories for why searches are conducted, and will now require officers to enter case numbers before running a search.
wsj.com
· 2026-09-23
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