Boston has terminated its contract with Flock Safety after the company shared license plate reader data across the country in violation of a specific contract provision, city officials confirmed last week.

What You Need to Know

Boston’s police department ran a pilot program with about 45 Flock automated license plate readers from April to September 2025. Early in that trial, a software error allowed Flock to share data nationally, which the city says broke its contract. The Boston Police Department has since removed all Flock cameras and halted the pilot.

The Flock Pilot Program and Contract Breach

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu announced the decision during her monthly “Ask the Mayor” segment on GBH News, just days before the release of Boston’s 2025 annual surveillance technology report. That report revealed that a “vendor error” by Flock Safety resulted in nationwide sharing of license plate data during the first few days of the trial.

The Boston Police Department had deployed about 45 Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) cameras in a pilot with Flock. The contract specifically limited data sharing to Boston’s jurisdiction, but the company’s error pushed data outside those boundaries. The city’s surveillance report noted the violation occurred almost immediately after installation.

Key findings from the city’s report include:

  • The data breach: Flock shared location data from Boston cameras on a nationwide network, violating the contract’s geographic scope.
  • Pilot termination: The Boston Police Department ended the trial early and removed all 45 Flock cameras.
  • Vendor error: The city attributed the incident to a configuration mistake by Flock, not intentional misconduct.

Broader Surveillance Concerns

The incident highlights ongoing tensions between privacy protections and police use of surveillance technology. Boston has been one of the more proactive cities in regulating law enforcement’s use of tools like ALPRs, requiring annual reports and strict data limits. The Flock case shows how even tightly written contracts can fail when vendors lack technical safeguards.

Flock Safety, a major provider of ALPR cameras and analytics, has faced criticism from civil liberties groups nationwide over its expansive data-sharing practices. The company sells its systems to thousands of police departments and often encourages interjurisdictional data sharing, which critics argue enables mass surveillance. Boston’s contract explicitly prohibited that feature, but a glitch bypassed the restriction.

Why This Matters

Boston’s decision sets a clear precedent for other cities negotiating surveillance contracts. Municipalities that rely on ALPR technology must ensure vendors cannot bypass data-use limitations, even through errors. The city’s swift termination sends a message that contract violations will not be tolerated, potentially forcing Flock and similar companies to tighten their internal controls.

For residents, the incident is a reminder that location data from license plates can be easily shared far beyond the intended use. Without rigorous oversight and technical safeguards, any city’s surveillance system could become a nationwide tracking tool. Boston’s experience may encourage other local governments to demand stronger audit capabilities and real-time data boundary enforcement.