Who can track your car with Flock camera data? | The Excerpt

On the Friday, September 4, 2026, episode of The Excerpt podcast: Flock cameras can help police find stolen cars and missing people, but their searchable location data can also be misused. USA TODAY Investigative Data Reporter Austin Fast joins The Excerpt to share how USA TODAY reporters identified troubling searches and what happened after law enforcement agencies were contacted about them.

Hit play on the player below to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript beneath it. This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.

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USA TODAY analyzed more than 75 million searches of Flock license plate reader data and found patterns suggesting misuse by dozens of law enforcement personnel. Following our investigation, at least 19 employees were arrested, fired, suspended, placed on leave or investigated. The findings raise a larger question though, do the benefits of this technology justify the risks?

Hello and welcome to USA TODAY's The Excerpt. I'm Dana Taylor. Today is Friday, September 4, 2026. USA TODAY Investigative Data Reporter Austin Fast is here for…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/