Boston dumps Flock cameras after data leaked to outside law enforcement

Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald on Sep 15, 2026

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

The City of Boston dumped a Flock camera program over privacy concerns after learning that the data it collected was not shared exclusively to Boston Police as intended, but was accessible to outside law enforcement nationwide.

What the city called a “vendor error” in the Boston Police Department Automated License Plate Recognition System was detailed at length in Boston’s 2025 annual surveillance report, which was filed Monday by Mayor Michelle Wu.

“From April 1, 2025 to Sept. 4, 2025, the department engaged in a trial of the Flock Safety ALPR System with approximately 45 ALPR cameras,” the report states. “The Flock ALPR system collected images of vehicles traveling within public view, including images of the license plate and vehicle.

“Within three days of initiating the pilot, BPD became aware that other law enforcement agencies were able to access license plate and vehicle information collected from BPD APLR cameras using a nationwide lookup feature that was enabled by the vendor in error,” the report added.

Per the report, making the data accessible to law enforcement outside of Boston was a violation of the city’s contract with Flock Safety, which stipulated that access to the data be restricted “exclusively to trained BPD personnel.”

The city said the data breach led it to stop using Flock Safety cameras, which the report states were meant to be used locally for “legitimate law enforcement purposes.”

“When the Boston Police Department discovered that a Flock data-sharing function had been enabled despite a clear, contractual agreement prohibiting its use, BPD immediately directed the vendor to disable it,” the city and Boston police department said in a joint statement.

“The city has since ended all use of Flock and will not use its services going forward. The city’s use of technology to advance the safety and wellbeing of residents must also protect privacy rights and civil liberties, safeguarding the community trust that helps make Boston the safest major city in the country,” the city and BPD added.

Boston’s controversy follows public backlash seen more broadly of late against use of Flock safety cameras, due to privacy, immigration, and mass surveillance concerns that have led dozens of communities in Massachusetts to cancel or pause their contracts.

Police officers in several Massachusetts communities have been accused of misusing Flock cameras and data to stalk or track romantic partners or acquaintances.

________