Crow's Nest
Tuesday, October 13, 2026 · The digital civil-liberties brief · View on the web
Davidson County commissioners vote to bag 25 Flock surveillance cameras.
Davidson County officials learned that 25 Flock license plate readers stayed active weeks after an August vote to end the contract, prompting commissioners to order the cameras bagged until removal, local outlets reported. (Lexington Dispatch)
Top
- Bexar County deputies used placeholder numbers in Flock license plate searches. (KABB)
- Lakeland commissioners approved a $21.9 million Axon contract adding drones and AI. (WFLA)
- A Department of Homeland Security agent infiltrated anti-ICE Signal chats. (minnesotareformer.com)
- Judges authorized cell-site simulators to track a student who helped Don Lemon. (Wired)
- Solvang will review its AI camera policy following resident objections. (New York Post)
The pattern
Police departments in three reports deployed Flock cameras without authorization or votes from local councils.
- Police nationwide installed Flock cameras without council votes. (The Institute for Justice)
- Columbia County Sheriff's Office installed 10 Flock Safety cameras without board approval. (The Daily Gazette)
- Maryville police deployed 16 Flock license plate readers without city council authorization. (WLBT)
Under the radar
Flock watch
- Steven Greer sued Port St. Lucie over warrantless license plate tracking. (WPEC)
- Dutchess County proposal would force workers to cover disused Flock cameras. (CNY News)
- Flock camera false alarms led police to detain drivers at gunpoint. (NBC News)
- South Windsor orders police to halt Flock camera use and remove readers. (Hartford Courant)
- Plano City Council is set to vote on ending its Flock contract. (WCSJ News)
Surveillance & Privacy
- Cheshire Police processed over 4,750 faces with live facial recognition vans. (Warrington Guardian)
- Eight U.S. airports are previewing TSA PreCheck biometric e-gates and AI screening. (TheTravel)
- Pasco Police Department launched a program offering live feeds to private cameras. (Tri-City Herald)
- Police use Graylark's Raven AI to identify homes from interior photos. (TechSpot)
Coming Up
Tue Oct 13 · DEADLINE · U.S. District Court — Judge Timothy Kelly intends to rule on request to block White House ban on reporters from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico (AP)
Tue Oct 13 · DEADLINE · Indonesia — Technology providers must register and express interest in Dukcapil's biometric digital ID remote enrollment EME (biometricupdate.com)
Tue Oct 13 · DEADLINE · U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia — U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly issues decision on preliminary injunction regarding White House press pass revocations (Tennessee Lookout)
Tue Oct 13 · EXPIRES · Washington, DC — Temporary restraining order forcing the Trump administration to restore press passes to CNN, MS Now, and Politico expires (Idaho Capital Sun)
Tue Oct 13 · EXPIRES · Washington, DC — Temporary restraining order protecting White House press credentials expires (washingtontimes.com)
Tue Oct 13 · HEARING · U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia — Judge Timothy Kelly intends to rule on whether to issue a preliminary injunction against the White House press ban (AP)
Speech & Press
- The DOJ investigates 5 networks over an antitrust pool boycott. (reason.com)
- New York penalizes swastika displays as hate-crime harassment. (Reason)
- Whistleblower David Grusch sued the Defense Department over 6,000 withheld pages. (USA Herald - The People's Voice)
Useful
Atlas of Surveillance — EFF's searchable record of which surveillance technologies each police department has bought, by city and agency.
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