The South Carolina attorney general has sent an inquiry letter to Flock Safety regarding the company’s license plate reader technology, data access policies, and use of artificial intelligence.
Flock Safety has been given 30 days to respond to questions about how its cameras identify individuals and share collected information.
The inquiry follows nationwide privacy concerns raised by critics regarding surveillance technology.
Across the region, at least 17 law enforcement agencies maintain online transparency portals that inform the public about the number of cameras operated by a department and the volume of vehicles photographed within 30 days.
Community members have expressed varying opinions regarding how collected license plate data is stored and utilized.
Curtis Ervin, a local driver, noted that while the cameras can assist law enforcement officers, data security remains a critical question. “Some of it I’m a fan of. Some of it I’m not,” Ervin said. “Just depends on what they do with the information.”
A resident shared similar privacy concerns, stating, “Sometimes it’s like they’re stealing your information.”
The inquiry letter from the South Carolina attorney general requests specific details about Flock Safety’s internal practices and software capabilities.
In the letter, the attorney general asks, “Does Flock employ any form of artificial intelligence in identifying vehicles or people?” The inquiry also focuses on data governance, asking, “What restrictions does Flock place on access to data?” and “Does Flock help facilitate sharing data across multiple customers?”
State lawmakers are also evaluating potential regulatory guardrails for artificial intelligence technology.
South Carolina Rep. Greg Ford is working on legislation to set parameters for AI use in the state and stressed the need for timely legislative action after Flock Safety’s response.
“My fear is we’re going to get these answers, and we’re not really going to do anything about it within the state,” Ford said. “And we need to really watch what we’re doing for the privacy of our citizens because once these technologies are out there, it’s harder to get them back out of the system itself.”
The scrutiny comes amid previous cases of license plate reader misuse by law enforcement personnel across the nation.
Several officers nationwide have been fired or criminally charged for allegedly misusing license plate reader technology, including an officer with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department and an officer with the Mooresville Police Department.
In neighboring North Carolina, Attorney General Jeff Jackson has taken no public action regarding license plate readers.
Flock Safety has 30 days to submit its responses to the South Carolina attorney general’s inquiry.
Starting in January, Flock Safety plans to require users to implement mandatory features, including an audit tool designed to flag abnormal search behavior for law enforcement.
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