As debate continues over Oklahoma City’s use of Flock Safety license plate reader cameras, a local cybersecurity expert says recent changes have helped address many of the privacy concerns raised by critics.
What sparked concerns about Flock?
“There just seemed to be suddenly a big explosion of activity in the press. As far as Flock was concerned, I hadn’t really been aware of it. Automatic license plate readers have been around since 2014, but I’d never heard of Flock,” said Ron Vaughn, EMSCO Solutions Specialist and Cybersecurity Expert.
Vaughn said increasing public scrutiny prompted him to take a closer look at the system and its security measures.
“Some of it was actually warranted because it was relatively wide open. They had some safeguards in place, but they weren’t actively watching those safeguards,” said Vaughn.
What protections are now in place?
Vaughn says both Flock and Oklahoma City have added additional layers of oversight to monitor how the system is used.
“They have logging now. They’re actually auditing the logging,” said Vaughn.
He said every search and login is now tracked and reviewed on a regular basis.
“They actually have people that will be going in every 30 days and reading the logging.” Vaughn said Flock also uses artificial intelligence to monitor account activity.
“If it sees any suspicious behavior, it will flag it, and then they can go in and decide if they’re going to freeze that account or not,” said Vaughn.
Users must also provide a case-related reason before accessing information, and outside agencies face additional hurdles before obtaining access.
“They’ve cut off all national sharing. The national sharing requests can still come in, but it’s like a two-level authentication with the police department before that will actually allow them onto the system,” said Vaughn.
What information do the cameras collect?
Vaughn says the cameras are primarily collecting vehicle information, not personal biometric data.
“It’s only 90 cameras, and it’s primarily reading license plates, looking at make, model and color of a car. So it’s not tracking facial recognition or anything like that,” said Vaughn. He also noted surveillance cameras are already common in everyday life.
“You’re on a camera somewhere all the time, whether it’s a Flock camera or not,” said Vaughn.
How does the system help law enforcement?
According to Vaughn, the technology has helped police locate stolen vehicles and assist with criminal investigations.
“They’ve been able to track stolen cars really widely. I think they’ve had some kidnapping cases they’ve been able to hunt down,” said Vaughn.
Data retention shortened from 30 days to 7 days
One of the most significant changes, Vaughn says, is reducing how long data is stored.
“They’re shortening the retention from 30 days down to seven days,” said Vaughn. The exception would be data tied to an active criminal investigation.
“That can be extended if there’s actually an active criminal investigation going on,” said Vaughn.
Vaughn says the shorter retention period limits the ability to search for someone’s movements weeks after the fact unless there is a legitimate investigative reason.
Why auditing matters
Vaughn says having logs alone is not enough. Regular reviews are what make the accountability measures effective. “A lot of people have logging turned on, but they never look at the logs,” said Vaughn.
He offered an example of how audits can identify misuse. “They don’t see that one specific person was looking for one license plate number over the last six months 252 times. That would get caught if somebody was checking the logs.”
What should concerned residents do?
Vaughn acknowledges that some people remain uncomfortable with the technology, but encourages residents to learn how the system works before forming an opinion.
“If it concerns them, look into it, and then just look at the facts and decide how you feel about it,” said Vaughn.
He noted that many privately owned cameras collect far more information than license plate readers.
“Everybody that has a Ring camera or every place that you go, you’re on a camera somewhere, and they’re recording a whole lot more than just your license plate,” said Vaughn.
Cybersecurity lessons beyond Flock
Vaughn says the broader takeaway is understanding how personal information is collected and protected online.
“Your data is everywhere, so you have to be really aware whenever you’re entering information onto a form,” said Vaughn.
He encourages people to use multi-factor authentication whenever possible.
“The most important thing about multi-factor authentication is it proves you are who you say you are,” said Vaughn.
And for those worried about privacy and unauthorized access? “Having multi-factor authentication turned on can cut down a whole lot of improper access to any data that you want to protect,” said Vaughn.
