diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index f23f0a0..ceab91f 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ Currently supports **20 states** with accurate legal citations: ## ⏱️ Critical: 30-Day Data Deletion -**Flock Safety automatically deletes all camera data after 30 days** on a rolling basis. +**Flock Safety automatically deletes all camera data after 30 days by default** on a rolling basis — and some states now mandate less: Washington's Driver Privacy Act (SB 6002, effective March 2026) caps ALPR retention at **21 days**, so Washington requesters have even less time. **This means:** - You have ~30 days from when footage was captured to request it @@ -145,6 +145,7 @@ Currently supports **20 states** with accurate legal citations: - **Meeting minutes** - Required to be public in most states - **Financial records** - How public money is spent - **Training materials** - Usually not exempt +- **Network sharing & audit records** - Who outside your city can search your cameras, and who has (often produced with redactions — records like these exposed Denver's federal-sharing pilot) ### ⚠️ May Require Legal Challenge @@ -159,12 +160,18 @@ Courts are increasingly ruling that Flock data is subject to public records laws - **Washington 2025**: Judge ordered police to release surveillance data - **General principle**: Public records law trumps vendor contracts +### 💥 Proof of Impact: Denver 2026 + +Public records requests don't just get documents — they change outcomes. In Colorado, journalists used records requests to uncover that Flock had given U.S. Border Patrol access to local camera data through a previously undisclosed pilot program — after the company publicly denied having federal contracts. The fallout: city council support collapsed, the City Auditor refused to countersign the contract, and in February 2026 Denver dropped Flock entirely ([9NEWS](https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/denver-removing-flock-cameras-new-axon-contract/73-640b5af3-7c87-4fea-8aa1-2510ad3257b8)). + +The records that exposed it are exactly the kind this toolkit's templates request — data-sharing and external-access records. Ask your town the same question. + --- ## 💡 Tips for Success ### 1. **Act Quickly** -Flock deletes data after 30 days. File your request ASAP and request expedited processing. +Flock deletes data after 30 days by default — sooner where state law caps retention (Washington: 21 days). File your request ASAP and request expedited processing. ### 2. **Request Your Own Vehicle Data** If you want specific footage, request data about YOUR OWN vehicle. This has the strongest legal backing. @@ -256,6 +263,10 @@ Filed a request using these tools? Let us know how it went! Success stories help ### Research & FOIA Tracking - **MuckRock** - FOIA tracking and examples: https://www.muckrock.com +- **MuckRock's cloneable Flock request** (items 10-12 in our templates build on its proven wording): https://www.muckrock.com/foi/california-52/flock-safety-and-alpr-data-and-policies-200784/ +- **EFF Data Driven** - what 12M+ Flock search logs revealed: https://www.eff.org/pages/what-we-learned +- **Have I Been Flocked** - Flock audit-log field reference: https://haveibeenflocked.com/about/audit-logs +- **Rural Privacy Coalition** - request-filing guide: https://ruralprivacy.org/filing-public-info-requests - **DocumentCloud** - Document analysis and sharing - **National Freedom of Information Coalition**: https://www.nfoic.org/ diff --git a/flock_request_template.md b/flock_request_template.md index a98b1fe..6d96d78 100644 --- a/flock_request_template.md +++ b/flock_request_template.md @@ -35,9 +35,15 @@ I am requesting all records related to [Agency Name]'s relationship with Flock G 9. **Training Materials**: Manuals, training materials, installation records, photographs, videos, and communications (emails, notes, etc.) -⚠️ **TIME-SENSITIVE**: Due to Flock Safety's 30-day data retention policy, I request expedited processing to preserve any relevant data that may be automatically deleted. +10. **Network Sharing & External Access**: A list of all agencies and organizations with which [Agency Name] shares ALPR data or hot list information, and from which it receives them, including the Flock network share settings ("networks shared with me" and "networks I am sharing") and any exported list of shared networks -Please provide records in electronic format if available. If any portions are denied, please provide a written explanation citing the specific legal exemption. +11. **Search Audit Logs**: All search audit logs, reports, or exports — including but not limited to the Flock "Organization Audit," "Network Audit," and "Event Log" reports (or successor/equivalent reports) — for [date range — e.g., the most recent three complete months], including all available fields (searching user and organization, networks and devices searched, license plate, stated reason, case number, filters, and search date/time) + +12. **Federal & External Sharing Agreements**: All agreements, MOUs, pilot programs, or other arrangements granting any federal agency (including DHS, CBP, or ICE) or out-of-state agency access to ALPR data, and records showing the current status of any national lookup or federal sharing settings + +⚠️ **TIME-SENSITIVE**: Due to Flock Safety's 30-day default data retention policy (shorter where state law requires — e.g., 21 days in Washington under SB 6002), I request expedited processing to preserve any relevant data that may be automatically deleted. Please preserve all records responsive to this request upon receipt. + +Please provide records in their original electronic, machine-readable format (e.g., CSV or spreadsheet files) where applicable. Records maintained by Flock Safety on [Agency Name]'s behalf are responsive to this request in whatever format they are maintained. If any portions are denied, please provide a written explanation citing the specific legal exemption. I request that you respond within [timeframe based on state law - e.g., "promptly as required by A.R.S. §39-121" or "10 business days as required by C.R.S. §24-72-203(3)(b)"]. @@ -74,7 +80,7 @@ All 20 supported states, with the law name and statute to cite in your request. - New York — Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) (N.Y. Pub. Off. Law §87 et seq.) — acknowledgment within 5 days - Pennsylvania — Right-to-Know Law (65 Pa.C.S. §67.101 et seq.) - Virginia — Virginia FOIA (Va. Code §2.2-3700 et seq.) -- Washington — Washington Public Records Act (RCW 42.56 et seq.) +- Washington — Washington Public Records Act (RCW 42.56 et seq.) — note: WA also caps ALPR data *retention* at 21 days (SB 6002, 2026); the PRA's 5-business-day deadline is for an *initial response only* — actual production often takes longer, so ask for preservation up front **7 business days:** - Tennessee — Tennessee Public Records Act (Tenn. Code Ann. §10-7-503 et seq.) @@ -101,7 +107,7 @@ All 20 supported states, with the law name and statute to cite in your request. ## Important Notes ### Critical Timing Issue -⏱️ **Flock Safety deletes all data after 30 days** on a rolling basis. If your request is delayed or denied initially, specific footage may be permanently deleted. Request expedited processing and follow up immediately. +⏱️ **Flock Safety deletes all data after 30 days by default** on a rolling basis — and some states mandate less (Washington: 21 days under SB 6002). If your request is delayed or denied initially, specific footage may be permanently deleted. Request expedited processing and follow up immediately. ### What This Request Will Get You diff --git a/generate-flock-request.ts b/generate-flock-request.ts index a4baad6..13827c3 100755 --- a/generate-flock-request.ts +++ b/generate-flock-request.ts @@ -364,7 +364,7 @@ async function main() { const vehicleDesc = sanitizeText(await prompt("Vehicle description (e.g., '2020 Honda Civic, blue'): "), 100); const dateRange = sanitizeText(await prompt("Date range (e.g., 'January 1-15, 2025'): "), 50); - vehicleInfo = `\n\n10. **Vehicle-Specific Request**: All images, footage, and associated data for license plate ${licensePlate} (${vehicleDesc}) for the period of ${dateRange}. This is a request for my own vehicle data.`; + vehicleInfo = `\n\n13. **Vehicle-Specific Request**: All images, footage, and associated data for license plate ${licensePlate} (${vehicleDesc}) for the period of ${dateRange}. This is a request for my own vehicle data.`; } const expedited = await prompt("Request expedited processing due to 30-day deletion? (y/n): "); @@ -455,7 +455,7 @@ function generateLetter(params: { }): string { const expeditedText = params.expedited ? ` -⚠️ TIME-SENSITIVE REQUEST: Due to Flock Safety's 30-day rolling data deletion policy, I request expedited processing of this request to preserve any relevant data that may be automatically deleted during processing.` : ''; +⚠️ TIME-SENSITIVE REQUEST: Due to Flock Safety's 30-day default rolling data deletion policy (shorter where state law requires), I request expedited processing of this request to preserve any relevant data that may be automatically deleted during processing.` : ''; // Note: All params have already been sanitized before reaching this function return `${params.date} @@ -488,9 +488,15 @@ I am requesting all records related to ${params.agencyName}'s relationship with 8. **Data Retention**: Policies on retention timeframes, deletion procedures, and actual deletion logs -9. **Training Materials**: Manuals, training materials, installation records, photographs, videos, and communications (emails, notes, etc.)${params.vehicleInfo}${expeditedText} +9. **Training Materials**: Manuals, training materials, installation records, photographs, videos, and communications (emails, notes, etc.) -Please provide records in electronic format if available. If any portions of this request are denied, please provide a written explanation citing the specific legal exemption claimed. +10. **Network Sharing & External Access**: A list of all agencies and organizations with which ${params.agencyName} shares ALPR data or hot list information, and from which it receives them, including the Flock network share settings ("networks shared with me" and "networks I am sharing") and any exported list of shared networks + +11. **Search Audit Logs**: All search audit logs, reports, or exports — including but not limited to the Flock "Organization Audit," "Network Audit," and "Event Log" reports (or successor/equivalent reports) — for the most recent three complete months, including all available fields (searching user and organization, networks and devices searched, license plate, stated reason, case number, filters, and search date/time) + +12. **Federal & External Sharing Agreements**: All agreements, MOUs, pilot programs, or other arrangements granting any federal agency (including DHS, CBP, or ICE) or out-of-state agency access to ALPR data, and records showing the current status of any national lookup or federal sharing settings${params.vehicleInfo}${expeditedText} + +Please provide records in their original electronic, machine-readable format (e.g., CSV or spreadsheet files) where applicable. Records maintained by Flock Safety on ${params.agencyName}'s behalf are responsive to this request in whatever format they are maintained. Please preserve all records responsive to this request upon receipt. If any portions of this request are denied, please provide a written explanation citing the specific legal exemption claimed. I request that you respond ${params.responseTime}.