EFF Warns: License Plate Readers Are Already Being Used for Traffic Enforcement Despite Promises

Flock Safety ALPR Used to Issue Traffic Tickets, Contradicting Company's Public Claims

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has highlighted a concerning case of surveillance mission creep: Georgia State Patrol used a Flock Safety automated license plate reader (ALPR) to issue a traffic citation for a motorcyclist holding a cell phone, despite Flock publicly stating its technology 'is not used to enforce traffic violations.'

The Incident

In December 2025, a motorcyclist was ticketed for holding a phone while riding. The ticket cited evidence from 'FLOCK CAMERA 31 MM 1' — directly contradicting the company's stated use cases.

The Contradiction

In November 2025, Flock Safety published a post explicitly stating what ALPRs do not do:

• 'Does not perform facial recognition'
• 'Does not store biometrics'
• 'Cannot be queried to find people'
• 'Is not used to enforce traffic violations'

Yet Flock now lists six companies providing traffic enforcement technology on its partner program page, and public records show speed cameras connected to Flock's ALPR network.

The Mission Creep Pattern

EFF notes this follows a familiar pattern:

1. Promise limited use: Technology deployed for serious crime investigation only
2. Expand scope: Gradually used for petty crimes and traffic enforcement
3. Normalize surveillance: Mass monitoring becomes routine
4. Political weaponization: ALPRs used to surveil protesters and activists

Why It Matters

ALPRs create comprehensive databases of vehicle movements, effectively tracking anyone who drives. When originally sold as tools for finding stolen cars and investigating violent crimes, their use for routine traffic enforcement represents a dramatic expansion of government surveillance capability.

EFF's Position

EFF continues to urge cities, states, and companies to end relationships with Flock Safety due to the incompatibility between mass surveillance capabilities and civil liberties protections, particularly the inability to prevent mission creep.