The Flock Effect: How One Company's Decline Reveals Bigger Issues in Surveillance States The exodus of Wisconsin cities from Flock, a company providing shared automated license plate camera networks, has raised important questions about the value and accountability of such systems.
This trend is not unique to Wisconsin; similar issues have arisen in other areas where automated license plate readers (ALPRs) have been implemented with little transparency or oversight.
One key aspect of Flock's decline is its loss of utility to participating cities. As more municipalities leave the network, the data shared among remaining agencies becomes less comprehensive and valuable.