Boston abandons Flock after nationwide sharing violated its contract
Garrett Langley's Flock Safety lost the city after a 2025 pilot exposed plate data beyond Boston despite an explicit sharing ban.
By RuntimeWire Staff · Published
Primary source: Ars Technica
Why it matters
Flock's growth depends on national network effects, while city contracts depend on enforceable local control. Boston shows that permissions and audit systems now matter as much as camera accuracy.
Boston has abandoned Flock Safety after a city report found that Flock Safety enabled nationwide access to police camera data despite a contract requiring sharing to be turned off. Mayor Michelle Wu confirmed the decision before Boston published its annual surveillance report on September 14th, according to reporting from Ars Technica and WBUR.…
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