Flock surveillance cameras targeted around the country amid opposition
Cities and activists are targeting the company’s 120,000-camera network as police misuse reports and privacy concerns fuel contract cancellations and vandalism.
- In recent weeks, citizens nationwide have forcibly disabled dozens of Flock Safety cameras across rural and urban areas, reflecting a rare bipartisan movement against the surveillance company's nationwide network.
- Flock Safety operates 120,000 automated license plate reader and pan, tilt, and zoom cameras across the U.S., creating a connected nationwide latticework that tracks vehicle movements across state lines, unlike previous localized surveillance systems.
- Reports indicate more than a dozen cases where police used the system to stalk ex-partners, while a capability called "FreeForm" allows users to search by race, clothing, or tattoos, contradicting company claims.
- Officials in Fort Collins, Colorado; Eugene, Oregon; Madison, Wisconsin; Knoxville, Tennessee; Syracuse, New York; and Walla Walla, Washington, have deactivated cameras or canceled Flock contracts in response to privacy concerns.
- Constitutional conservatives and progressive activists unite against the surveillance state, arguing that constant vehicle tracking violates expectations of privacy and freedom of movement—a rare ideological consensus in a politically divided country.
39 Articles
39 Articles
Tort claim, vandalized cameras and eastern Idahoans up in arms about Flock cameras
EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is the second in a two-part series examining Flock cameras in eastern Idaho. Read the first article here. POCATELLO – Awareness has been spreading of a technology new to the region that, at the time of its adoption, attracted barely any public attention at all. In recent weeks, that has changed. […]
What are Flock cameras and why are they so controversial?
Police say Flock cameras help them solve crimes, while critics worry they make it far too easy to track where people drive. Did you know that the next time you drive across town, a camera you barely notice could record where your car goes?Known as Flock cameras, the small black devices sit beside roads, near intersections, and at the entrances to neighborhoods and parking lots, collecting information about every …
Wild Footage Shows Man Blocking Flock Camera With Comically Gigantic Protest Sign
There’s been plenty of buzz lately around vandalism of Flock Safety’s automatic license plate readers, which are AI-integrated surveillance cameras that index license plate data from passing vehicles indiscriminately and without a warrant. Countless vigilantes have taken to the roadways armed with trash bags, spray paint, laser pointers, and power drills to render the surveillance poles useless, resulting in arrests and investigations by police.…
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