Why we love to hate Flock

The license plate reader company has become a lightning rod for surveillance concerns. But getting rid of Flock doesn’t necessarily get rid of the surveillance.

[Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images]

BY Chris Stokel-Walker

The surveillance state has crept up around us, but in at least one instance, its integration into society has prompted a backlash. Flock Safety has managed to make automated license plate readers (ALPRs), cameras that record the license plate and other characteristics of every vehicle that passes them, a hot-button issue across the United States.

More than 50 agencies or jurisdictions have canceled, suspended, or rejected........

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