Flock data-sharing suit likely headed back to state court

A federal judge indicated Thursday he is inclined to find that California drivers suing Flock over license-plate data sharing lack standing, since they have not shown a personal injury from the practice.

Plaintiffs argue Flock let out-of-state and federal agencies access data California law says should stay local, citing one search log showing 1.6 million database queries by outside agencies in six months. Judge Vince Chhabria was unconvinced there is a meaningful difference between in-state and out-of-state access, though the plaintiffs' attorney argued the state line is precisely the point, citing a woman tracked after leaving Texas for an abortion.

Chhabria also suggested the case likely does not belong in federal court at all and will probably be sent back to the California court where it started.

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