Berkeley is extending its contract with the surveillance company Flock Safety but halting a proposed major expansion that would have added drones and more cameras to the city’s system.
The City Council’s vote Thursday night comes after a leaked memo from the city attorney’s office pointing to high-profile instances in other cities where data from Flock’s automated license plate readers was shared with outside agencies. The memo warned council members that Flock might not be able to comply with contractual obligations not to share their data with other customers, including federal immigration enforcement and out-of-state agencies.
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“Flock’s track record raises serious concerns about data sharing, accountability and oversight,” Mayor Adena Ishii said ahead of the meeting. “One, I do not trust Flock as a company, and two, I don’t trust our current federal government.”
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