Flock’s New AI Tool Raises Concerns

Flock, a company that has been at the center of controversy regarding its automated license plate reader (ALPR) technology, has been testing a new AI tool that can track and identify people based on their driving habits. The tool, called OS Investigate, uses a network of cameras in 6,000 communities to log the movements of drivers and can potentially locate people by analyzing their vehicle movements.

Source: engadget.com

According to a report by Wired, the software can ‘search for people in an area drawn on a map based on nothing more than a physical description.’ This means that an officer doesn’t even need a plate, name, or a crime to begin searching for a person. They just have to provide a location, a time, and a pattern of behavior, and the algorithm will do the rest.

The tool also has a chatbot component that allows officers to input prompts to help with these broad searches. Wired has shared numerous examples of the prompts in a module that can be scrolled through. Some of the prompts come pre-loaded and say things like ‘find me witnesses based on vehicles most seen in [neighborhood] during [last 14 days] during [daily timeframe].’ The officers would fill in the blanks and submit the prompts.

Flock says it’s testing the product right now with certain law enforcement partners and that the current capabilities ‘may not reflect’ what it eventually sells. However, the company hasn’t disputed any of the aforementioned capabilities and has instead stated that this is a separate product from the license-plate reader technology.

Noel Pichardo, a former police officer who reviewed the software and related prompts for Wired, has expressed his concerns about the tool. ‘I don’t know how else to say this, but this sounds completely insane,’ he said. ‘I don’t know how anyone can argue against the idea that Flock literally tracks people.’

A current police officer who remains anonymous has said that the witness-finding aspect makes him ‘slightly uncomfortable’ but added that ‘as law enforcement, we need to use every tool available, in spite of what the ‘defund’ people say.’ The independent security researcher Buchodi has taken a more tactful approach, noting that ‘there are a lot of innocent activities that could be flagged, even if it also might be quite useful for investigators.’

The Massachusetts police officer who is facing possible dismissal and charges for allegedly misusing and improperly accessing information from Flock cameras has sparked a wider debate about the use of Flock surveillance systems. An Ohio community has called for a pause in the use of these systems, citing concerns about privacy and abuse of power.

Chad Marlow, an attorney with the ACLU, has expressed his concerns about the tool. ‘The difference between a police officer saying, ‘Do you see any criminal patterns’ or ‘Find me criminal patterns’ is going to produce two different things,’ he said. ‘And I think the fact that they don’t seem to have any limitations on the prompts enables the police to almost lead the AI in what it does.’

This gets to one of the primary reasons people are so uncomfortable with Flock cameras. Police officers have been known to abuse them, using the technology to spy on people and stalk ex-partners. This has forced the company to introduce a number of safeguards to prevent abuse, like the ability to lock out flagged users and a requirement to attach case codes to searches. However, it’s unclear what kind of safeguards would be needed to prevent abuse with the beta software that Wired took a look at.

The general unease with Flock and its products has fueled a genuine and near-universal backlash. Several law enforcement agencies have severed ties with the company, and citizens have begun taking matters into their own hands. Cameras have been vandalized, destroyed, or stolen throughout the country. One Minnesota town found that all of its Flock cameras had disappeared overnight, and the city’s police department has chosen not to replace them.