A federal judge in Oklahoma has ruled that a law enforcement officer violated a woman’s Fourth Amendment rights by searching her vehicle’s history through Flock Safety’s license-plate reader network without obtaining a warrant first.
The decision, which was issued by U.S. District Judge Sara Hill, marks one of the most significant legal challenges to Flock’s expanding surveillance system.
The ruling does not establish a nationwide legal precedent, but it could give momentum to growing concerns over how police departments use automated license-plate databases to track people’s movements.
The case began when a Tulsa County sheriff’s deputy searched Flock’s database for a California-registered vehicle.
According to the court, the deputy had no clear investigative justification for running the plate other than the fact that the vehicle was from California.
Yeah, let’s just sniff around under any number of rocks to see what we can find. Asshole.
You know, when a cop whacks a choirboy / Commie or arrests a pedophile, I’m almost always on the side of the police. But when they start snooping around in a person’s private life, my position changes 180 degrees, also almost every time.
I’m just glad this little anti-Flock step has been taken. Let’s hope there are more, much more until the whole fucking shitshow crumbles into dust.
