Flock cameras are becoming a more common sight across Georgia, but the technology does more than simply capturea vehicle's license plate.
The cameras, known as automated license plate readers (ALPRs), use artificial intelligence and machine learning to capture information about vehicles passing by, including license plates, vehicle color, make and model, according to Flock.
The technology is used by law enforcement agencies, local governments, businesses, and other organizations as a tool to help investigate crimes and locate vehicles connected to cases.
Here's everything to know.
How Flock cameras work
Flock Safety, an Atlanta-based public safety technology company, develops the cameras used in communities across the country.
When a vehicle passes a camera, the system
captures an image and converts details about the vehicle into searchable data.
Law enforcement agencies can then use that information during investigations, such as locating stolen vehicles or identifying vehicles connected to reported crimes.
Flock says the cameras are designed to focus on vehicles involved in incidents and do not use facial recognition technology, according to Business Insider.
The company also says vehicle records are automatically deleted after 30 days by default, though customers can adjust retention settings based on contracts and local regulations.
Flock cameras are expanding across Georgia
Flock Safety was founded in Atlanta in 2017 and has grown into one of the largest providers of license plate reader technology in the country.
The company says its cameras have been installed in thousands of communities nationwide, including systems operated by police departments, neighborhoods, businesses and other private groups.
Across Georgia, communities have adopted the technology as a way to help investigators gather information after crimes are reported.
Privacy concerns surrounding the technology
While law enforcement agencies say Flock cameras can help solve crimes, privacy advocates have raised concerns about how much information is collected and how the data can be used.
Critics argue that because the cameras capture vehicles that are not suspected of wrongdoing, they create a large database of people's movements.
Civil liberties groups, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the American Civil Liberties Union, have questioned whether widespread networks of license plate readers could be used to track people’s travel patterns.
Flock Safety says its customers own their data and control who can access, search and share it, as well as how long the information is retained.
What Georgia drivers should know
Drivers may not always notice Flock cameras because many are mounted on poles near roads, neighborhoods, parking lots or business entrances. Some are powered by solar panels.
The cameras do not take the place of traditional police investigations, but they provide another source of information when authorities are searching for vehicles connected to crimes.
Vanessa Johns is the Trending Topics Reporter for the Deep South Connect Team Georgia, covering food and entertainment. Email her at Vcountryman@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Flock cameras are spreading across Georgia. What do they capture?
