Giannoulias’ Audit Finds License Plate Reader Company in Violation of State Law
Flock Safety Shared Illinois Data with U.S. Customs and Border Protection; Secretary Orders Flock to Shut off Data Access
SPRINGFIELD – Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias’ office recently discovered that U.S. Customs and Border Protection gained access to Illinois license plate camera data – a violation of state law his office initiated.
During a recent audit, Giannoulias’ office found that Flock Safety, which operates the largest automated license plate reader (ALPR) system in the nation, allowed U.S. Customs and Border Protection to access Illinois license plate cameras on Illinois roads and surveil drivers. As a result, Giannoulias immediately ordered the company to shut off access to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
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“This sharing of license plate data of motorists who drive on Illinois roads is a clear violation of the state law. This law, passed two years ago, aimed to strengthen how data is shared and prevent this exact thing from happening,” Giannoulias said. “I take my responsibility as Secretary of State seriously. It’s why we spearheaded this legislation, which now gives us the tools needed to hold Flock accountable for its actions.”
In June, the Secretary of State’s office announced it would conduct a sample audit of Flock Safety data sharing with local law enforcement. As a result of the sample audit that included a sampling of 12 local law enforcement agencies, the office discovered late last week that Flock did not have proper safeguards in place for data sharing, which was compounded by the fact that the company was running a pilot program with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which Flock leadership was unaware of. This was uncovered as part of the Secretary of State’s audit, and Flock has also since paused its pilot with CBP and other federal agencies, not only in Illinois but nationwide.
In addition, Giannoulias called on local police departments to re-examine their agreements with Flock and what access they grant law enforcement to their ALPR cameras to ensure they do not violate the state’s Trust Act, which restricts local law enforcement in Illinois with collaborating with federal authorities – including ICE – on immigration enforcement without a court warrant.
The revelation comes just two months after Giannoulias ordered Flock to block outside law enforcement from seeking Illinois data related to abortion and immigration, according to a state law he spearheaded that was enacted two years ago.
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