FLOCK license plate reader company operating without a license

Flock’s high-resolution cameras create a detailed file that includes other markers on each vehicle, including bumper stickers. The company’s cloud-based system also connects with ALPR data from jurisdictions across the nation in real time, allowing users to map vehicle movement. 

After receiving complaints last year that Flock had been installing and operating ALPR cameras on private properties without a license since 2021, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) sent the company a cease and desist order in September 2024. Despite documented violations, DPS granted Flock a license for private operations, but that license expired on September 30, 2025. 

Flock Director of Communications Holly Beilin told The Texan the company applied for a new license months ago.

“This situation is due to an administrative error that we are currently working to resolve with the licensing board,” Beilin said in an email.

The expired Texas Online Private Security license appears to jeopardize evidence collected by Flock ALPRs installed by private companies such as homeowners’ associations and businesses, which is often shared with state and local law enforcement agencies. 

Baytown City Council Member Kenrick Griffith announced last month that the Baytown Police Department (BPD) had turned off data sharing from some Flock installations until the licensing issue is resolved. 

“BPD Chief Stringer has made the correct decision to shut down some of Flock's feed due to their illegal unlicensed activity,” said Griffith. “I want to applaud BPD and Chief Stringer for taking swift action when informed and you should know that I will be working closely with council, staff and BPD to ensure Flock follows the law in the future if Baytown decides to continue its relationship with Flock.”

Texas DPS did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.

Earlier this year, both the City of Austin and Hays County canceled contracts with Flock over data usage and privacy concerns, joining multiple other local governments across the nation that have severed ties with the company. 

The increased use of ALPRs and other surveillance technology has prompted privacy and national security concerns, and a recent report revealed that Flock uses overseas labor to build its artificial intelligence tools. The company is also developing an advanced product that identifies individual persons, not just vehicles. 

David Dunmoyer of the Texas Public Policy Foundation told The Texan that both federal and state lawmakers should consider solutions to balance ALPR benefits with civil rights. 

“The biggest issue from the TPPF perspective is making sure that when the ‘move fast and break things’ realm of technology conflicts with our civil liberties and privacy there is an honest discussion about what we Texans are willing to trade off privacy-wise in return for enhanced security,” said Dunmoyer, who co-authored a paper on the “Promises and Peril” of artificial intelligence last year. 

Although Flock states that ALPR-collected data is only kept for 30 days, there are no federal or Texas regulations mandating the amount of time the company may retain the information. Dunmoyer said lawmakers may also need to consider policies to ensure the security of the data collected and who may gain access. 

“There’s no multi-factor authentication (MFA) for users or ‘cyber-hygiene’ requirements for these agencies contracting with Flock, which is just surreal,” said Dunmoyer. “Some of the most highly sensitive information possible doesn’t have any authentication.” 

Last month, U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-IL) and U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL-08) requested a Federal Trade Commission investigation into Flock for alleged “negligent cybersecurity practices,” and provided examples of the company’s ALPR data stolen by hackers. 

“Flock’s failure to natively support and require phishing-resistant MFA means that if hackers or foreign spies steal, phish, or otherwise learn a law enforcement officer’s Flock password, they can gain access to law-enforcement-only areas of Flock’s website and search the billions of photos of Americans’ license plates collected by taxpayer-funded cameras across the country,” wrote Wyden and Krishnamoorthi. “This threat is not theoretical.”

Earlier this year, the Houston Chronicle reported that Houston police were frequently accessing Flock’s data collected by ALPRs installed in the city, but were not properly citing a legitimate law enforcement purpose, instead listing reasons such as “random,” “stolen elephant,” or “donut” in some cases. Last year the Kansas City police chief resigned after revelations that he had used Flock to track his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend more than 200 times, adding to concerns that even police may not be using ALPR information for strictly defined investigations. 

In Texas, state Reps. Briscoe Cain (R-Deer Park) and Brian Harrison (R-Midlothian) have sought legislation to rein in ALPRs, but their proposals were not successful. 

Cain, an attorney, told The Texan that data collected by Flock under an expired state license is not admissible in court. 

DJ Seeger, an appointee to the DPS Private Security Advisory Committee, told The Texan he had concerns about how ALPR data is used. He said that in response to questions about Flock’s expired license, a DPS representative told him that there had been voluminous complaints in recent months and that there is an active criminal investigation regarding Flock.

Seeger also noted that Flock in many cases is installing their own equipment, not selling it, but then charging users to pay for access to the data. 

“So, who owns the data? My big concern with Flock really is the privacy and how do we know if Flock is selling information to the highest bidder,” said Seeger. “China or Russia or Al Qaeda?”

Another concern cited by Seeger is whether data collected by Flock or other ALPR companies is available to the public. Although the Texas Office of the Attorney General ruled last year that Flock data collected for the City of Baytown was not subject to open records requests, a Washington state judge recently determined that the information collected at taxpayer expense is public. 

ALPR usage is also the subject of federal litigation in Virginia alleging the data collected violates the Fourth Amendment protection from illegal search and seizure. 

As of publication, Flock’s Texas license application remains pending.