Washington Post. . Authorities have charged or accused at least 50 law-enforcement officers of using license-plate readers for unauthorized purposes,…
The license-plate readers tracked the locations of women's vehicles, enabling officers to stalk them.
- AI system involved
- Flock
1 source article · read the reporting →
Fired Trucker AI Monitoring Suit Adds Twist to Liability Debate
California truck driver Rodrigo Garcia sued his former employer, Figueroa Tank Lines, and Samsara, maker of its AI-powered in-cab video surveillance, saying his August 2025 dismissal was whistleblower retaliation and that the monitoring invaded his privacy without consent.
- Company involved
- Figueroa Tank Lines
- AI system involved
- Samsara AI dashcam monitoring
1 source article · read the reporting →
Covington cop fired after investigation into Flock technology system - WSB-TV
The system tracked vehicle locations and movements of individuals without legitimate law enforcement purpose.
- Company involved
- Covington Police Department
- AI system involved
- Flock
1 source article · read the reporting →
Police officer sues Flock Safety alleging negligence with license plate data - The Business Journals
The system captured and retained license plate data of a police officer, which was misused by others.
- Company involved
- Flock Safety
1 source article · read the reporting →
California cop shared Flock camera data with domestic violence suspect who tracked down victim - Yahoo
The Flock camera system captured the location of a domestic violence victim's vehicle, and an officer shared it with her alleged abuser, who tracked her down.
- Company involved
- Flock Safety
- AI system involved
- Flock camera system
1 source article · read the reporting →
Police Officer Uses Flock Cameras To Hand an Abuser His Victim’s Exact Location - motorbiscuit.com
The Flock camera system tracked a domestic violence victim's vehicle and disclosed her live location to her suspected abuser.
- Company involved
- Flock Safety
- AI system involved
- Flock Safety
1 source article · read the reporting →
Police use Flock Safety ALPR network to surveil protesters without warrants
The Electronic Frontier Foundation obtained data showing that over 50 law enforcement agencies ran hundreds of searches through Flock Safety's automated license plate reader network in connection with protest activity in 2025. The searches targeted vehicles associated with protests, including the No Kings movement and animal rights activists, without articulating a specific crime. The surveillance creates a chilling effect on First Amendment-protected dissent.
- Company involved
- Flock Safety
- AI system involved
- Flock Safety ALPR network
7 source articles · read the reporting →
Milwaukee Strips Officers of Flock Camera Access After Shocking Stalking Scandals - motorbiscuit.com
Automated license plate readers tracked the vehicle locations of an ex-partner and a civilian without authorization.
- Company involved
- Flock Safety
- AI system involved
- Flock Safety ALPR
1 source article · read the reporting →
San Jose officer fired for misusing Flock camera database in domestic abuse case - The Guardian
The system tracked and shared the location of a woman's vehicle with her alleged abuser.
- Company involved
- San Jose Police Department
- AI system involved
- Flock
1 source article · read the reporting →
Cherokee County deputies fired for misusing Flock licence plate database
Three deputies from the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia were fired and arrested for allegedly accessing the department’s automated licence plate reader database without a lawful purpose. The misuse was uncovered following a self-initiated audit of the Flock Safety system. All three individuals face charges of violation of oath of office.
- Company involved
- Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office
- AI system involved
- Flock Safety
3 source articles · read the reporting →
Two men sue the City of San Diego over alleged wrongful arrest linked to Flock ALPR data - 10News.com
The Flock ALPR system flagged a vehicle as matching a suspect's car, leading to the arrest of Hugo Parra and Ariel Alonso Beltran.
- Company involved
- City of San Diego
- AI system involved
- Flock ALPR
1 source article · read the reporting →
Flock lawsuit accuses tech company of exposing citizens to rogue police tracking - Top Class Actions
The system recorded and tracked the locations of vehicles and their owners without consent.
- Company involved
- Flock Group Inc.
- AI system involved
- Flock
1 source article · read the reporting →
Flock Safety’s Massive Error Rate is Subjecting Innocent Drivers to Felony Stops - MotorBiscuit
Flock Safety camera misread a license plate character, triggering a stolen vehicle alert that led Toledo police to conduct a felony traffic stop without verification, during which an innocent driver was bitten by a police dog, injured, and wrongfully arrested.
- Company involved
- Toledo Police Department
- AI system involved
- Flock Safety
1 source article · read the reporting →
Privacy advocate detained at gunpoint after license plate reader error
Brian Hofer, a privacy advocate, and his brother were detained at gunpoint by Contra Costa County sheriff's deputies after a Vigilant Solutions automated license plate reader mistakenly flagged their rental car as stolen. The error occurred because the car had been recovered but not removed from the hot list database. Hofer filed a federal lawsuit alleging civil rights violations, while the sheriff's office stated deputies followed procedure. The incident highlights concerns about the accuracy and oversight of license plate reader systems.
- Company involved
- Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office
- AI system involved
- Vigilant Solutions license plate reader
2 source articles · read the reporting →
Prairie Village Police Stop Lawyer at Gunpoint After License Plate Reader Error
In April 2014, lawyer Mark Molner was driving his BMW in Prairie Village, Kansas, when police stopped him because a license plate reader misread a '7' as a '2', falsely identifying his car as a stolen Oldsmobile. An officer approached with his gun drawn but not pointed at Molner, who was shocked. The police later explained the error, and Molner did not pursue legal action.
- Company involved
- Prairie Village Police Department
- AI system involved
- Elsag PMH-900
2 source articles · read the reporting →
RCMP used IntelCenter facial recognition without disclosure
The RCMP in British Columbia secretly subscribed to IntelCenter's facial recognition service, which matched faces against a database of 700,000 faces tied to terrorism. Internal emails revealed the force broke its own procurement rules and hid the purchase. The RCMP claimed it was only for testing, but documents showed active use. The contracts ended in 2019.
- Company involved
- Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)
- AI system involved
- IntelCenter Check
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Xpeng Motors Fined for Collecting Customer Facial Images Without Consent
Xpeng Motors was fined 100,000 yuan by Shanghai's market regulation authority for collecting 431,623 facial images of customers without consent. The company used surveillance cameras with facial recognition from a third-party supplier, Ulucu, to analyze customer traffic. Xpeng stated it removed the devices and deleted all data before the inspection, and that no data was leaked or misused.
- Company involved
- Xpeng Motors
4 source articles · read the reporting →
Truck drivers sue Motive over AI dash cam mass surveillance
Truck drivers Adam Dean and Christian Erickson filed a class action lawsuit against Motive Technologies Inc., alleging that the company's AI-powered dash cams with automatic license plate readers collected license plate data and tracked drivers' movements without consent. The lawsuit, filed in California federal court, claims violations of California's ALPR Law and seeks damages of $2,500 per class member. The drivers allege privacy invasion and emotional distress from the surreptitious surveillance.
- Company involved
- Motive Technologies Inc.
1 source article · read the reporting →
China police collect voice biometrics with iFlytek for mass surveillance
The Chinese government, collaborating with AI company iFlytek, has been collecting voice pattern samples to build a national voice biometric database. Police use an Automatic Speaker Recognition system to automatically identify targeted voices in phone conversations and alert authorities. Human Rights Watch reports that the collection occurs with little transparency, and individuals may not know their voice patterns have been taken or be able to challenge the surveillance. iFlytek has not responded to Human Rights Watch's inquiries about the program.
- Company involved
- Ministry of Public Security
- AI system involved
- Automatic Speaker Recognition (ASR) system
10 source articles · read the reporting →
UK Court of Appeal Finds South Wales Police's Automated Facial Recognition Unlawful
The UK Court of Appeal ruled that South Wales Police's use of Automated Facial Recognition (AFR) technology, known as AFR Locate, was unlawful and violated human rights. The court found that the legal framework gave officers too much discretion over watchlists and deployment, and the data protection impact assessment was inadequate. Civil liberties campaigner Ed Bridges brought the judicial review, alleging the technology was unlawfully intrusive. The court upheld the appeal on grounds of legality, data protection, and equality duties, and South Wales Police stated it would not appeal the decision.
- Company involved
- South Wales Police
- AI system involved
- AFR Locate
8 source articles · read the reporting →
U.S. Border Patrol uses AI and ALPR to target drivers for pretext stops and asset seizures
The U.S. Border Patrol has built a nationwide dragnet driver-surveillance system using automated license plate readers and AI to flag suspicious travel patterns. Local police then pull over targeted drivers on pretexts, interrogate them, and seize cash and vehicles through civil asset forfeiture. The program has been kept secret, with details hidden from court documents and the public. The ACLU report highlights the abuse of innocent drivers and calls for congressional action.
- Company involved
- U.S. Border Patrol (CBP)
- AI system involved
- Automated license plate reader (ALPR) system with AI analytics
6 source articles · read the reporting →
ShotSpotter held in contempt over refusal to release documents
ShotSpotter, a gunshot-detection technology company, was held in contempt of court after refusing to release documents about how it assesses gunshot alerts. The case stems from a November 2021 DUI arrest in Chicago, where the defence alleges the police pulled the driver over solely based on a ShotSpotter alert. Rather than comply with a subpoena from the Cook County Public Defender Office, ShotSpotter's attorney requested the contempt order to enable an appeal. The defence sought materials on analyst qualifications, alert reclassifications, and sensor accuracy data.
- Company involved
- ShotSpotter
- AI system involved
- ShotSpotter
1 source article · read the reporting →
Swedish police fined for unlawful use of Clearview AI facial recognition
Sweden's data protection authority IMY fined the Swedish Police Authority €250,000 for unlawfully using Clearview AI's facial-recognition app. The police used the app between autumn 2019 and March 2020 without authorisation or a required data protection impact assessment. The IMY ordered the police to ensure Clearview AI deletes the data and to train employees to avoid future breaches.
- Company involved
- Swedish Police Authority
- AI system involved
- Clearview AI
3 source articles · read the reporting →
Alonzo Sawyer falsely arrested after face recognition misidentification by Maryland Transit Police
Alonzo Sawyer was arrested in spring 2022 after an intelligence analyst using face recognition software identified him as a possible match for a bus assault suspect. He spent nine days in jail before the actual suspect was identified by the victim. His wife Carronne Sawyer advocated for his release and later testified in support of proposed Maryland legislation to regulate police use of face recognition. The incident is one of several known false arrests of Black men due to face recognition errors.
- Company involved
- Maryland Transit Administration Police
6 source articles · read the reporting →