Crow's Nest
Friday, November 6, 2026 · The digital civil-liberties brief · View on the web
Hong Kong Police will add AI facial recognition to the CCTV network.
Hong Kong Police announced they will integrate AI facial recognition into the city's CCTV network to track suspects, stating that searches will require an inspector's approval and data will be kept up to 180 days. (The Standard (HK))
Hong Kong Police Plan AI Facial Recognition Integration With Shopping Mall Cameras (Hong Kong Free Press HKFP)
Top
- At least 10 local governments moved to curb or drop Flock Safety cameras. (TechCrunch)
- University at Buffalo paused testing Flock license-plate readers after police employee suspensions. (Buffalo News)
- Avon and Somerset Police will deploy live facial recognition in Bath. (West Somerset Free Press)
- Milford's Board of Alders unanimously required approval for surveillance expansions. (NBC Connecticut)
- U.K. police detained activist Bernie Spofforth for 36 hours over an X post. (Reason)
The pattern
Three officers faced charges or indictments for allegedly misusing automated license-plate reader systems.
- Prosecutors drop charges against a deputy over 381 unauthorized license-plate searches. (WFLA)
- A former deputy faces charges for allegedly running over 100 searches on his wife. (Spectrum News Bay News 9)
- A former detective was indicted for allegedly misusing an automated license plate reader system. (WCIV)
- North Carolina detective was indicted for allegedly misusing Flock cameras and police databases. (CBS17.com)
The pattern
Three police departments launched or proposed drone-as-first-responder programs to stream live video of 911 calls.
- St. Louis police launched a drone first-responder program storing footage up to 30 days. (KMOV)
- Howard County police will deploy rooftop docking stations to stream live drone video. (WBAL-TV)
- Oakland police propose stationing six rooftop drones to stream live video. (The Oaklandside)
Under the radar
Flock watch
- Covered Flock license plate readers still captured driver data, Missouri police disclose. (FOX4KC.com)
- Haverhill cancels its police contract with Flock Safety and orders the removal of license plate readers; the city had used the surveillance system since 2023 (WHAV)
- New Bedford police will not renew their Flock Safety contract after alleged misuse. (New Bedford Guide)
- Edgewood voted unanimously to remove four Flock Safety devices. (LINK nky)
- League City voters rejected Flock Safety license plate readers. (Houston Public Media)
Surveillance & Privacy
- Maryland bans surveillance grocery pricing for stores of at least 15,000 square feet. (JD Supra)
- Retailers deploying virtual try-on tools face liability for mapping facial geometry without consent. (The Fresno Bee)
- A class action alleges MAC scanned facial geometry without consent. (The Sacramento Bee)
- Kent Police deployed live facial recognition technology in Chatham. (Kent Police)
Coming Up
Fri Nov 6 · DEADLINE · Washington, D.C. — Administration faces deadline set by Senators Schiff and Wyden to identify officials responsible for delaying release of FISA Court opinion (Gold Rush Cam)
Fri Nov 6 · DEADLINE · Akron, OH — Akron Police Department requested to provide high-priority Flock camera records to the independent police auditor (Signal Akron)
Fri Nov 6 · DEADLINE · Washington, DC — Deadline for DNI Jay Clayton and AG Todd Blanche to respond to senators regarding the withheld FISC Section 702 surveillance ruling (NaturalNews.com)
Fri Nov 6 · TAKES EFFECT · St. Louis, MO — St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department implements its first emergency response drones (Audacy)
Sat Nov 7 · BALLOT · New Zealand — New Zealand holds a general election impacting social media age verification and ban proposals (biometricupdate.com)
Sat Nov 7 · MEETING · Cambridge, MA — Civic Assembly meets to review municipal surveillance technology including ShotSpotter and park surveillance cameras (WCVB)
Speech & Press
- Advocacy groups sued to block Montana's ban on corporate and union election spending. (reason.com)
- Delhi Police issued takedown requests targeting 42 URLs on X. (eff.org)
- Google, Meta, and TikTok sued California over an autoplay ban for minors. (thehill.com)
Useful
Community Control Over Police Surveillance — The ACLU's model ordinance that makes a city council vote in public before police buy surveillance tech. Two dozen cities have passed a version.
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