fighting network. Now Americans want guardrails. – Deseret News

Key Points:

• Since the 1960s, public surveillance via private security cameras has expanded, especially after 9/11, reducing Americans' expectation of privacy in public spaces.
• Flock Safety, a leading provider of automated license plate readers (ALPRs), faces bipartisan criticism for privacy concerns, with accusations of its technology enabling mass surveillance and potential abuse.
• Utah has implemented legal safeguards, including a nine-month data retention limit and restrictions on data use, while Governor Spencer Cox has called for a review of ALPR regulations after reports of extensive cross-state data searches.
• Law enforcement defends ALPRs as vital tools for crime prevention and counterterrorism, citing recent success in thwarting an ISIS-inspired attack in New York using such technology.
• In response to backlash and lost contracts, Flock Safety introduced stricter privacy policies, including reduced data retention and disabled data sharing by default, but skepticism about the company's practices persists among privacy advocates.