Boston drops Flock Safety after firm shared license plate data nationwide

The city of Boston has terminated its contract with surveillance company Flock Safety after discovering the firm shared vehicle license plate data across a nationwide network. Boston officials say Flock enabled a 'nationwide lookup' feature despite the contract explicitly requiring it to be disabled. The city considers this a direct violation of the agreed terms, raising serious concerns about data privacy and misuse. Boston's decision reflects growing scrutiny over how private surveillance vendors handle sensitive data collected on behalf of local governments.