CBP Quietly Used Flock’s Camera System For Nationwide Vehicle Tracking

The Customs and Border Protection (CBP) organization gained access to more than 80,000 automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras operated by Flock Safety.

According to records obtained by 404 Media and local outlets, it was shown that CBP performed extensive searches across the United States, raising new concerns about federal surveillance activities.

404 Media notes that Flock’s cameras, often promoted as local tools to fight car theft or property crime, have been quietly linked into a national network. The network operates by recording license plate numbers, vehicle model information together with the time stamps of passing vehicles.

The newly released data by 404Media demonstrates CBP had direct access to the network for searches, without needing local police to act as intermediaries.

In one case, 404Media reports that Boulder Police Department said it “does not have any agreement with U.S. Border Patrol for Flock searches” and claimed it wasn’t aware CBP was accessing its data. The department has since disabled the feature that allowed nationwide lookups.

A spokesperson for Flock confirmed to 404 Media that “Flock has paused all federal pilots.” In a blog post, CEO Garrett Langley admitted the company failed to set “distinct permissions and protocols in the Flock system to ensure local compliance for federal agency users.”

He said Flock would now mark federal agencies separately to give local departments clearer control.

However, internal dissent remains. One Flock employee told 404 Media the company “will defend it as they have been by saying Flock follows the law,” but raised concerns that shifting U.S. laws could expand federal access further.

404Media reports that the audit logs demonstrate that CBP performs camera searches that extend beyond the scope of local department searches. The number of networks that CBP accessed on June 13 reached 6,429 while other agencies accessed 6,049 networks.

404 Media says CBP has not responded to requests for comment.