Washington Court Rules That Data Captured on Flock Safety Cameras Are Public Records

"The Skagit County Superior Court in Washington rejected the attempt to block the public's right to access data gathered by Flock Safety cameras, protecting access to information under the Washington Public Records Act (PRA). Importantly, the ruling from the court makes it clear that this access is protected even when a Washington city uses Flock Safety, a third-party vendor, to conduct surveillance and store personal data on behalf of a government agency."

"Flock Safety's main product is ALPRs, camera systems installed throughout communities to track all drivers all the time. Privacy activists and journalists across the country recently have used public records requests to obtain data from the system, revealing a variety of controversial uses . This has included agencies accessing data for immigration enforcement and to investigate an abortion , the latter of which may have violated Washington law."

Skagit County Superior Court ruled that Flock Safety camera data are public records under the Washington Public Records Act, including when a city uses Flock as a third-party vendor to collect and store personal data. Cities sought to exempt cloud-hosted ALPR records, claiming data are not public until downloaded. The ruling counters that position and preserves transparency despite municipal reliance on private servers. Flock Safety's ALPR networks collect continuous driver location data. Public records requests and a University of Washington report have revealed controversial uses, including sharing data with federal immigration agents and use in an abortion-related investigation.

Read at Electronic Frontier Foundation