Does Flock Safety Share Your Data With ICE or Sell It? The Record

Does Flock Share Your Data With ICE?

Flock says it does not sell customer data and has no contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), but 404 Media found local and state police ran more than 4,000 lookups tied to ICE or immigration, and Illinois said U.S. Customs and Border Protection had access to Illinois data through a Flock pilot. Flock says it "does not work with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)," has no contract with ICE, and that ICE has no direct access "unless the agencies that control their data expressly and deliberately allow it." Flock also says federal agencies are not part of statewide or national lookup networks.

404 Media reported that ICE, which had no Flock contract, worked through local police. Officers typed reasons such as "immigration," "ICE" and "ICE WARRANT," according to public-records data from the Danville, Illinois police department. The ACLU says both Flock and Axon access the FBI's National Crime Information Center (NCIC), including ICE's "Immigration Violator" hotlist.

Does Flock Sell Your Data?

Flock's contract terms say "Flock shall not sell Customer Data." Flock's standard legal terms state that all right, title, and interest in customer data "belong to and are retained by Customer." Any data sharing beyond operating the service requires the customer's written authorization, according to Flock's data ownership terms.

However, data moves across jurisdictions when customer police departments choose to join inter-agency sharing networks. Agencies in Flock's National Lookup network can be searched by other agencies, including out-of-state ones.

How Sharing Actually Works

Under Flock's contract terms, the customer owns the data, and sharing beyond operating the service needs the customer's written authorization. Flock says the agencies that own the data control whether federal agencies can reach it. The ACLU reported in August 2026 that about 75% of Flock's roughly 5,000 police customers take part in Flock's "National Lookup" network.

Flock says sharing with federal agencies is off by default. Since January 2026, an agency can turn off all federal sharing "with a single toggle in Admin Settings," according to Flock's published blog. Flock lists past federal pilots with the FBI (2021 to 2023), ATF, NCIS, HSI, and CBP. Flock states that "In August of 2025, Flock publicly announced it would no longer conduct pilot projects with federal agencies."

What Public Records Showed

Public-records data from the Danville, Illinois police department showed more than 4,000 nationwide and statewide lookups by local and state police tied to ICE or immigration, 404 Media reported in May 2025. ICE had no Flock contract and worked through local police to conduct those queries across the network.

In August 2025, Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias said Flock broke a 2023 Illinois law that bans sharing plate-reader data to enforce immigration or abortion-related laws. He said Flock gave CBP access to Illinois data through a pilot and ordered the access shut off. Flock's CEO said "We clearly communicated poorly," paused federal pilots, and disagreed with the legal claim, according to NPR Illinois reporting.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) obtained records of more than 12 million searches logged by more than 3,900 agencies between December 2024 and October 2025. EFF found hundreds of searches tied to protests (50501, Hands Off, No Kings). EFF also reported a Johnson County, Texas search connected to a woman's self-managed abortion that reached 6,809 networks and 83,345 cameras.

Retention Periods and State Restrictions

Retention varies by source and agency. Flock's explainer says "By default, data automatically deletes after 7 days unless local law requires something different." Kent County, Michigan says images are kept "for 30 days unless lawfully preserved." The ACLU says Flock defaults to 7 days with a 1-year maximum, with longer periods needing official approval, and actual retention is set per agency.

Two states in our sources restrict plate-reader data (rules elsewhere vary):

• Washington State: SB 6002, signed in late March 2026, limits plate-reader data retention to 21 days unless it is needed as evidence. It bans use for immigration enforcement, tracking protected activity such as free speech, and abortion-related investigations, and bars collection near protected health facilities, immigration facilities, schools, courts, food banks and places of worship. Agencies must keep access logs for two years.
• Illinois: A 2023 state law bans sharing plate-reader data to enforce immigration or abortion-related laws.

How to Find Out If Your Plate Was Searched

Residents can look for searches of their plate using public audit records and public-records requests. Have I Been Flocked offers a plate lookup against public audit records. The site explains three audit-log types: organization, network, and portal/public.

To request records from a local police department, Have I Been Flocked outlines specific steps:

1. Identify the local law enforcement agency operating the Flock cameras.
2. Find that agency's public-records request process.
3. Request the audit logs using specific language.
4. Expect a response from the agency in about 2 to 5 weeks.

Have I Been Flocked says audit logs download in 31-day increments. In addition, many police departments publish a Flock Transparency Portal online. Kent County, Michigan publishes a transparency portal covering 62 cameras, expanded from a 20-camera pilot started in 2022. Portals can show usage policy, audit information, and which outside agencies have access permissions.

For finding camera locations, DeFlock is a crowdsourced map of plate-reader cameras built on OpenStreetMap by Will Freeman. An August 2026 count found 127,878 OpenStreetMap plate-reader tags in the United States; treat crowdsourced counts as incomplete.

Flock Safety vs Axon Sharing and Retention

The ACLU examined differences in architecture and contract rules between major Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) suppliers in August 2026.

Flock's comparison page states that Axon's sharing is limited to agency-specific data with no shared national network. Flock markets a patented Vehicle Fingerprint search filtering by body type, make, color, roof racks, bumper stickers, damage, and after-market alterations. Flock says its cameras "do not use facial recognition" and focus on vehicles rather than people. Axon sells Axon Fleet 3, an in-car video system with built-in plate reading. The ACLU's advice: short retention (48 hours at most), no nationwide sharing, no federal access, and no AI analytics.

What to Ask Your City Council

Because Flock's contract terms say the customer agency owns the data, residents concerned about sharing can raise it with their city council. Several municipalities have ended or declined to renew Flock contracts. Lynnwood, Washington voted 7-0 on February 23, 2026 to cancel its Flock contract, after reporting that out-of-state and federal agencies had searched the network for immigration enforcement. Asheville, North Carolina voted 5-2 in August 2026 to terminate its contract, and Harrisonburg, Virginia voted 4-0 in July 2026 to end its agreement. Cortland, Ohio declined to renew, citing a lack of funding, and EFF reports Austin, Evanston and Eugene canceled or refused to renew.

Residents reviewing a local plate-reader program can ask three specific questions:

• Is National Lookup turned on? Check whether the department shares local camera data across the nationwide network or restricts lookups to local personnel.
• Has the department disabled federal sharing? Confirm whether administrators turned off federal queries using the January 2026 Admin Settings toggle.
• What is the local data retention schedule? Verify the number of days camera captures remain stored before deletion, and check whether your department follows the 7-day default or an extended period.

FAQ

Does Flock work with ICE?

Flock says it "does not work with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)" and has no contract with ICE. However, public records reported by 404 Media show local and state police ran more than 4,000 lookups tied to ICE or immigration; ICE had no Flock contract and worked through local police.

Does Flock sell license plate data?

Flock's contract terms say "Flock shall not sell Customer Data" and that customer data belongs to the customer agency. Agencies in Flock's National Lookup network can be searched by other agencies, including out-of-state ones.

Can out-of-state police search my town's Flock cameras?

Yes, if your local department participates in Flock's National Lookup network. The ACLU reported that about 75% of Flock's roughly 5,000 police customers participate in National Lookup, enabling partner departments across state lines to query local cameras.

How do I check if my plate was searched?

You can search public audit records on Have I Been Flocked or submit a public-records request to the law enforcement agency operating the cameras. Have I Been Flocked says audit logs download in 31-day increments and to expect a reply in about 2 to 5 weeks.

Can my city turn off federal sharing?

Yes. Flock says sharing with federal agencies is off by default, and since January 2026, customer agencies can turn off all federal sharing with a single toggle in their Admin Settings.

External sources for further verification:

• Flock Safety Data Ownership and Customer Contract Terms
• Flock Safety Statement on ICE and Federal Agency Access
• 404 Media Investigation on Local Police Searches Tied to ICE
• NPR Illinois Coverage of State Law and Federal Pilot Programs
• Electronic Frontier Foundation Review of License Plate Search Records
• ACLU Research on Automated License Plate Reader Vendors and Retention
• Have I Been Flocked Public Records and Audit Log Guidance
• Washington State Legislature SB 6002 Safeguards on ALPR Data