Crow's Nest
Wednesday, November 4, 2026 · The digital civil-liberties brief · View on the web
Police deployed a live facial recognition van to scan crowds in Southampton.
The Daily Echo reports police deployed a mobile surveillance vehicle in Southampton's city centre to scan crowds and identify targeted suspects, leading to four arrests for alleged offenses including fraud. (Daily Echo)
Top
- Two Rivers council unanimously voted to end its Flock Safety contract. (NBC26)
- Flock Safety enlisted active police officers to pitch readers across Maine. (The Maine Monitor)
- Fayetteville approves a deal bundling body cameras with a drone program. (Hoodline)
- India's Supreme Court issued notice on a plea challenging protest facial recognition. (LawChakra)
- Delhi Police deployed a facial recognition system van to scan crowds. (The Patriot)
Flock watch
Taylor, Texas terminates its Flock Safety contract (Taylor Press)
West Fargo City Commission approves an Axon deal (Froggy 99.9 KVOX)
League City, Texas decides whether police keep 55 readers (The Auto Wire)
North Carolina indicts former deputy over license plate reader (mydailyrecord.com)
Petersburg Police Department deployed automated license plate readers (WTVR.com)
Surveillance & Privacy
- Policing minister Sarah Jones promises legislation on police live facial recognition. (BBC)
- The Ninth Circuit held breach of confidence confers standing in privacy cases. (The National Law Review - A Free To Use Nationwide Database of Legal Publications)
- St. Louis police commissioners will vote on rules prohibiting random drone surveillance. (Spectrum News)
- NYC Council Member Shahana Hanif introduces legislation banning public biometric surveillance. (TechCrunch)
Coming Up
Wed Nov 4 · DEADLINE · Columbia, SC — Flock Safety deadline to answer South Carolina Attorney General questions regarding AI, data restriction, and retention policies (WSPA Spartanburg)
Wed Nov 4 · TAKES EFFECT · Bury St Edmunds, UK — Suffolk Constabulary deploys live facial recognition technology in Bury St Edmunds town centre (Bury Mercury)
Wed Nov 4 · HEARING · Bury St Edmunds, UK — Suffolk Police deploys live facial recognition cameras in Bury St Edmunds (Bury Mercury)
Wed Nov 4 · MEETING · Bury St Edmunds, UK — Suffolk Constabulary deploys live facial recognition technology in Bury St Edmunds (Bury Mercury)
Wed Nov 4 · VOTE · Anchorage, Alaska — Anchorage Assembly considers reformed surveillance rules and license-plate-reader regulations (Anchorage Daily News)
Wed Nov 4 · VOTE · Rancho Palos Verdes, California — City Council considers privacy rules and grant revisions for subsidized neighborhood ALPR cameras (Patch)
Speech & Press
- Judge McConnell finds firing a governor staffer over a post violated the First Amendment. (reason.com)
- Protect Democracy sues to compel disclosure of a secret White House framework. (BankInfoSecurity.com)
- A New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay $25 billion over deceptive claims. (Cato Institute)
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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