Judge rules Flock cameras violate the Fourth Amendment
A federal judge has ruled that a Tulsa County sheriff’s deputy violated the Fourth Amendment when he used Flock license plate reader technology to access weeks of a driver’s travel history, warning that the system risks creating a nationwide “dragnet” of mass surveillance.
TL;DR
- A federal judge ruled that a Tulsa County sheriff's deputy's use of Flock license plate reader technology violated the Fourth Amendment.
- The judge warned that the system poses a risk of creating a nationwide "dragnet" of mass surveillance.
- Evidence obtained after the unconstitutional search was suppressed.
- The ruling highlights the challenges courts face in applying existing Fourth Amendment precedents to advancing surveillance technologies like ALPR.
- The judge noted that while ALPR technology has benefits, the Fourth Amendment requires drawing a line when the cost to privacy is too great.